Security Blanket
by oddment1
Summary: Rio had his hands full keeping the Holograms out of trouble. What if he had had a little help? I have created a character Zack Morgan to serve as a security guard. This story starts after the talent search episode. ship: Raya and my character
1. Chapter 1

A thirty year old man sat in front of a camp fire in the presence of the young Starlight girls. This man was a plain looking man with black hair and glasses. Most people would think that there was nothing special about Zack Morgan. That was just how he wanted it due to his of work as a security guard for Jem and the Holograms. In reality, he was very smart with a black belt in karate. He had used these attributes quite well to keep the Misfits from causing trouble.

Zack's adventure started when he heard of the Holograms forming. He needed work and he thought that this was as good of an opportunity as any to look for work. He made a terrific impression on his future employers when he saved Jem from getting flattened by a runaway bulldozer with a well thrown baseball that hit the power switch. He further won the Holograms over by evicting the Misfits from Starlight mansion with a kick to Pizazz's stomach. He had a seemingly easy life, but unbeknownst to our young hero, that was about to change. The Holograms were about to undergo a change that would change his life forever.

Zack was roasting marshmallows with the Starlight girls when he was asked if anyone knew a good ghost story. A voice made an eerie howl from the distance as if the camp site really was haunted.

"I'm scared!" Bonne E complained.

Zack looked around and saw that all of the girls were scared so he got up and walked away from the voice that was still howling.

"That not…" Ashley protested.

"I know!" Zack interrupted.

Zack originally walked away from the voice because he didn't want to tip off the intruder. When he got to the woods out of sight, he started walking in a circle so he could get behind the offender. When he saw the purple haired prankster his blood started to boil. Our hero soundlessly crept up behind Clash. When he finally closed the gap, he pinned both of her arms behind her back.

"So the Misfits are into scaring little girls now?" Zack barked.

"Let go of me!" Clash ordered.

"I don't think so!" Zack snorted. "You're coming with me!"

Zack marched the Misfit wanna be into the campsite causing a few gasps from the Starlight girls.

"Here is our ghost!" Zack proudly trumpeted.

"Isn't that a Misfit?" Bonne E. probed.

"Close," Zack replied. "Her name is Clash. As for you, Clash, I think you had better leave now and tell the Misfits what happens when they pick on little girls!"

"Fine," Clash whined as she left with her tail between her legs while the Starlight girls clapped and cheered.

The rest of the night had gone off with out a hitch so Zack slept peacefully on the last night of the camping trip. Since he had been camping all week, he did not know that Shana had left the group temporarily to try her hand at fashion designing. He did not know that the Holograms were holding a talent search to replace her. Above all else, he did not know how much his life would change when he returned to Starlight mansion.

The next day, the bus arrived to take the campers back home. Before boarding the bus, Zack made all of the girls line up so he could take a head count and make sure that no one had forgotten anything. When he was finished, he boarded the bus with his charges. As he sat in the front seat with his hands contently folded behind his back, he thought with a grin that he never would have guessed that he would be camping with a bunch of girls before he joined the Holograms. In spite of that, he knew that he had a good time. He especially enjoyed the part when he gave Clash the surprise of her life.

Coincidentally, arrived at the same time as the Holograms. The Holograms waited back patiently with grins on their faces while Zack took the final head count.

"Okay, looks like everyone is here," Zack mused. "Everyone got everything?"

"Yes, sir," the girls piped up.

"Dismissed!" Zack barked to send the girls and the bus on their way.

"Hey, Zack," Jem greeted. "Come meet our new drummer."

"New drummer?" Zack turned around with his hand extended.

When Zack turned around, he saw a Spanish woman with pink hair. She looked like no other woman that he had ever seen before. He took one look at her and his voice box closed up.

"Zack, this is Raya, our new drummer," Jem explained. "Raya, this is our security guard Zack."

"Pleased to meet you," Raya greeted as she extended her hand.

"Well… I…" Zack stuttered while blushing bright red. "Pl-pleased t-t-to meet you."

"Are you okay?" Raya asked with her eyes narrowed.

"Uh… yeah…" Zack squeaked. "I better go unload my gear."

Zack was starting to run away when he stepped on a rock and tripped head over heals over his bag.

"Oh , my!" Raya cried out.

"I'm fine!" Zack protested. "I better go!"

Zack ran to his room on the second floor trying to hold back his tears.


	2. Food Fight

Zack Morgan was so rattled by his run in with Raya that he ran to his room without his bag which he had dropped on the ground.

"What's up with him?' Raya asked.

"You are so naïve," Aja giggled with her hands on her hips.

What do you mean?" Raya demanded.

"You obviously made an impression on him," Aja pointed out. "I think we all can see that."

"I know I can Shana concurred.

"I guess I'll go take his bag to him," Jem declared with a sigh.

* * *

><p>Once Zack had reached the top of the stairs, he was about to open the door to his room when Ashley stopped him.<p>

"Is something wrong?" Ashley wondered.

"Oh, nothing much," Zack grunted with a squeaking voice. "I just made a complete fool of myself down there!"

"Huh?" Ashley probed.

"I appreciate your concern, but I am afraid that this is a grown-up problem," Zack refused.

"I've heard that before," Ashley gave in.

"Enjoy being a kid while you still can," Zack advised to Ashley's back as she left to find an adult.

Ashley climbed down the stairs with a confused look on her face when she ran into Jem.

"Someone should talk with Zack," Ashley declared. "He seems very upset about something.

"That's where I'm going, thanks," Jem politely replied.

Jem arrived at Zack's room and knocked on his brown door.

"I brought your bag," Jem spoke out.

"Thanks," Zack acknowledged while taking his bag.

"May I come in?" Jem pleaded.

"Sure," Zack conceded while moving aside.

Jem took a brief moment to look around Zack's room. Above his desk was a stereo and a collection of compact discs. A poster of Whitney Houston was prominently displayed over his bed.

"You okay?" Jem probed as she sat in the chair in front of desk.

"Have you ever made a fool of yourself?" Zack wondered.

"Everyone has," Jem explained. "I once made a pass at Eric Raymond to make Rio jealous."

Zack's eyes bugged out at this revelation. He then rubbed his ears because he was sure that they weren't working properly.

"What was that?" Zack choked out. "Either my ears aren't working or I've lost my mind."

"It was a long time ago and I didn't know how rotten he was at the time," Jem answered. "The point is that we have all done stupid things in the name of love."

"Raya must think I'm a complete idiot," Zack sighed.

"No, she doesn't!" Jem debated.

"How do you know?" Zack questioned.

"Do you want to know what she said when she first saw you?" Jem asked with a wry smile.

"What?" Zack probed.

"Who's that cute guy?" Jem revealed with a light punch to Zack's arm.

"You serious?" Zack spat out.

"I think she was impressed because of how you were handling the Starlight girls," Jem continued.

"Well," Zack squeaked for a lack of anything else to say.

"Rio is throwing a barbecue right now for our new member," Jem declared. "You should come down and try again."

"I don't know…" Zack mused when he heard four sinister voices coming from his window.

Zack ran to the window and saw three familiar imps plus one that he hadn't seen before throwing food.

"I guess I am going down there!" Zack loudly decided as he ran out the door.

"That's the spirit!" Jem cheered.

"Wait a minute!" Zack exclaimed as he started knocking on the doors of all of the Starlight girls. "I've got an idea!"

* * *

><p>"Beat it!" Rio barked as swung his barbecue tongs at Roxy which she ducked easily.<p>

"Well, what have we here?" Zack sang out as he entered the backyard.

"You again!" Pizzazz complained.

"If you don't want to run into the bear then stay out of his cave," Zack quipped to get a laugh out of the Holograms. "Hey, I haven't seen you before."

"The name is Jetta and I'm the new Misfit, love," Jetta replied with a mockish bow.

"I leave for one week and I miss everything!" Zack complained.

"Sorry," Aja apologized.

"Is that a British accent, ducky?" Zack needled.

"What do make something of it?" Jetta challenged.

"No, but I do want to make something of you people crashing our party." Zack answered. "I'm pretty sure that you weren't invited."

"You going to kick us all out by yourself?" Pizzazz cooed.

"I could but I thought it would be more fun if I made this a group project," Zack replied as he snapped his fingers.

When Zack snapped his fingers, all of the Starlight girls came out carrying the messiest food they could pilfer from the kitchen.

"FOOD FIGHT!" Zack cried out to start a war that the Misfits had no chance of winning. After all, who better to cause trouble than children. Stormer, the most timid of the group, was the first person to leave.

"And stay out!" Zack chortled.

"Well done!" Raya complimented.

"Th-thanks," Zack stuttered.

"You aren't going to run away again are you?" Raya piped out.

"No, I guess I just get tongue tied in front of pretty girls," Zack explained.

"Oh," Raya squeaked with her head slightly cocked to one side. "You think I'm pretty?"

"Yes," Zack answered.

"Thank you," Raya acknowledged. "I'm very flattered."

"How did you get here?" Zack asked. "As you might have heard, I've been out of the loop for a week."

"We needed a replacement drummer for Shana since she wanted to try a career at fashion designing," Jem explained.

"But that didn't work out so I play bass guitar now," Shana finished.

"You might also be interested to know that the Countess has invited us all to a formal dance," Rio stated.

"Really," Zack squeaked as he stole a glance at Raya.


	3. Who Is That?

The Misfits exited their limousine in front of Misfits Music looking like they had just left a comedy show. Pizzazz was covered with spaghetti. Roxy had pie a la mode all over her. Stormer was plastered with ketchup and who knows what Jetta was wearing. The one thing they had in common was that they all wanted to get back at Zack Morgan. Who am I kidding? They wanted to do that practically every day.

The Misfits rode the elevator to the penthouse with smoke coming out of their ears. Pizzazz wanted to throw something and Jetta wanted to slap someone just for the fun of it. She could not believe that Zack had the nerve to call her ducky just because she was British.

"Eric!" Pizzazz raved when she and the Misfits got out of the elevator.

"What happened to you?" Eric spat with his eyes bugged out.

"I hate that four-eyed freak!" Roxy roared.

"I thought he was camping with those brats," Eric guessed.

"He's back now!" Pizzazz ranted with her eyes flaring.

"He did this by himself?" Eric asked.

"It was the girls that did this," Stormer put in. "He just ran the whole thing."

"I hate that monster!" Clash screamed when she entered the room.

"Camping didn't work out so well for you?" Pizzazz teased.

"Doesn't look like it worked out so well for you either," Clash countered with a wry grin.

"This is all your fault, Eric!" Pizzazz growled.

"What did I do?" Eric wondered.

"You are the one who suggested that we go make things difficult for the Holograms' new drummer because Raya didn't want to play ball," Pizzazz loudly explained with some angry arm waving. "You were even stupid enough to suggest we start a food fight in front of a mansion full of brats!"

"I'm going to get that guy!" Roxy promised.

"Not before I get that guy!" Jetta debated. "He had the nerve to call me ducky just because I'm British! I thought you people said that he was a goody-two-shoes!"

"He probably just couldn't control himself because he was mad," Stormer guessed.

"Why are you defending him?" Jetta spat.

"I'm not…" Stormer squeaked.

"Save it!" Pizzazz blurted out with her hand extended.

"You girls have said that you are going to get that guy before," Eric declared.

"We mean it this time!" Clash protested.

"He must have a weakness that we can exploit," Pizzazz mused.

"Before you figure that out, why don't you girls get changed," Eric ordered. "You are making me hungry."

The Misfits went into their dressing room which fortunately had large bathroom next to it. While they were cleaning themselves off, they thought of a song that they wanted to sing for their next album.

We're Gonna Get Him

The Misfits

Misfits Music

We're gonna get him

He's gonna play the fool

We're gonna get him

We're taking him to school

...

He spoils our fun

He thinks he owns the sun

We're so mad

He's gonna be so sad

...

We're gonna get him

He's gonna play the fool

We're gonna get him

We're taking him to school

...

He's gonna be on the run

He is so done

We're gonna have some fun

He is so dumb

...

We're gonna get him

He's gonna play the fool

We're gonna get him

We're taking him to school

Look out, Zack Morgan! We're coming to get you!

* * *

><p>In his room at Starlight mansion, Zack sat on his bed talking with his parents on the phone. He told them about his recent camping trip and his encounter with Clash. Of course, the majority of his conversation was about Raya. He told them about his comedy of errors and asked for their advice. They just told Zack to take it slow. Zack had to end his conversation because someone knocked on his door.<p>

"Why, hello Raya," Zack choked out in surprise when he opened the door. "What can I do for you?"

"Can I ask you a question in private?" Raya asked.

"Sure," Zack answered as he moved aside.

"Do you know?" Raya probed as she sat in a chair.

"I know a few things," Zack quipped as he sat on his bed and put the phone in the holster. "You'll have to be more specific."

"How do I put this?" Raya pondered.

"If you are asking me if I know that things aren't always what they seem around here then the answer is yes," Zack revealed.

"How do you know?" Raya demanded. "I found out by accident."

"Open that trunk and tell me what you see," Zack suggested.

Raya opened Zack's blue trunk and found several mystery books.

"Nancy Drew… Hardy Boys… Agatha Christie…" Raya listed. "You like mysteries?"

"I also enjoy solving them in real life," Zack continued.

"How did you solve this one?" Raya probed.

"Have you noticed that the makeup that Jem wears on her eyes is similar to Kimber's?"

"And since Kimber is Jerrica's sister…" Raya finished.

"You got it," Zack confirmed.

* * *

><p>The next day, Zack who was a wearing a black tuxedo and tie, approached the table where his friends and the Countess were sitting holding a glass of sparking apple cider.<p>

"Hello, young Zack," the Countess greeted as approached.

"Hello, Countess," Zack acknowledged while sitting down.

"They tell me that you like camping," the Countess probed in conversation.

"I like it just fine when there aren't any Misfits gumming up the works," Zack replied.

"I think there is something that you haven't told us!" Shana spat.

"It seems that Clash is into scaring little girls now," Zack complained.

"I assume that you taught her a lesson," Aja giggled.

"You got it," Zack responded while taking a sip of his apple juice with a proud smirk on his face.

At that moment, the deejay played "Take My Breath Away" and Zack tensed up. He noticed Rio taking Jerrica to the dance floor. The moment that he had been waiting for had arrived. Zack took a deep breath to steady himself and then took the plunge.

"Raya, may I have this dance?" Zack pleaded.

"Of course," Raya said with a smile, causing Zack to blush completely.

Zack took Raya's hand and went to the center of the dance floor. The two started gliding effortlessly around the dance floor. Our hero was totally mesmerized by his companion. His favorite Jem song "Like A Dream" thundered in his brain because he didn't know if we was dreaming or not. When the dance was over, Raya went to get a drink while Zack returned to his seat completely flushed.

"You okay?" Kimber asked with concern.

"I guess so..." Zack murmured.

"How did you enjoy dancing with Raya?" Aja probed.

"I…" Zack choked. "I could barely breathe."

"Oh, my!" the Countess cried out. "It seems Cupid spared no expense on the arrow he used on you."

"I guess," Zack sighed when he noticed a blonde woman staring coldly at him from a distant table.

"Now what's wrong?" Shana demanded.

"Countess, do you recognize that blonde sitting over there?" Zack asked causing the mystery woman to take off like a shot.

"No, I don't," the Countess replied with a frown.

"What do you make of it?" Kimber pressed.

"Trouble!" Zack growled.


	4. Kidnapped

"You really think that woman is trouble?" Kimber asked in alarm.

"If the Countess didn't recognize her, then that means that she wasn't invited," Zack explained. "This whole thing is setting off my Spidey sense."

"Who do you think she is?" Shana probed.

"Who do we know who likes to play dress-up?" Zack mused. "Excuse me, please. I'm going to go for a walk."

"What is this Spidey sense?" the Countess asked with a bewildered look after Zack left.

"Spider-Man is an American super hero portrayed in comic books," Aja explained.

Zack walked across the dance floor to investigate this new predicament. He had a lot of things on his mind. He did not know the mystery woman but that didn't mean that she didn't know him. Why else had she looked at him so coldly? The only thing that was clear to our hero was that the woman had been spying on him. Zack knew that the only people that would want to spy on him would be the Misfits. However, this person was clearly not a Misfit. This left only one possibility. If he was right, why would this particular person be spying on him. He reasoned that his enemies were looking for a new way to get to him. He looked back at a certain person with pink hair and a chill ran down his spine. Having arrived at the motive of the mystery woman, Zack knew that there was only one thing to do so he headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Jerrica asked who was sitting next to Rio.

"Outside," Zack grumbled, causing Rio to shrug his shoulders.

Zack walked outside and walked to his motorcycle with a purple sidecar attached. On the right side of the side car were the big red letters MB which stood for Misfit Buster. He reached inside the sidecar and pushed a button causing a secret compartment to open. Inside the compartment were various gizmos that he had bought from a store called Geeks 'R Us. Zack picked up a device which looked like a pen and clicked the button on top. After putting the device in his pocket and closing the compartment, he walked back to the party feeling a bit like James Bond. When he got inside, he picked up a second long stemmed glass of apple juice and went back to his table where all of his friends were back together. He noticed that Raya's purse was on the floor and that it was not zipped completely.

"Oops!" Zack cried out when he purposely dropped the glass. Fortunately, the all of the glasses were plastic so they didn't break.

"Problem?" Jerrica teased.

"I got it!" Zack replied as he picked up a napkin to clean up his mess. At the same time as he was cleaning up, Zack deftly placed the device in Raya's purse.

The Jem song "Twinight In Paris" started and Shana suggested that it would be fun if they switched partners causing Zack's face to droop slightly. He knew the only reason that she made that suggestion because Anthony couldn't attend the party and she wanted someone to dance with. Therefore, Rio consented to dance with her.

"Would you like to dance with me, Zack?" Kimber asked.

"Okay," Zack sighed as they headed to the dance floor.

"I know that I'm not Raya, but I'm sure that it will still be fun," Kimber promised.

Kimber did not know how wrong she had been. Even through he had been a champion dancer with Raya, he was a clumsy oaf with Kimber. This fact was obvious by the pain in Kimber's feet.

"Ouch!" Kimber cried out.

"I'm sorry!" Zack apologized.

"I don't get it!" Kimber complained. "With Raya, you're Fred Astaire! With me, you're Daffy Duck!"

"I'm sorry," Zack murmured.

"No, I'm sorry too," Kimber replied. "I didn't mean to snap at you."

"I understand," Zack answered.

"It looks like you two just fit together," Kimber guessed.

"You think so?" Zack asked.

"You really like her, don't you?" Kimber prodded with a smirk.

"Is is that obvious?" Zack joked.

"I think so," Kimber snickered.

"I called my parents last night and told them about Raya," Zack revealed.

"That's nice," Kimber replied. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure," Zack agreed.

"What did you put in Raya's purse?" Kimber probed with a frown.

"Huh?" Zack squeaked.

"I saw you so don't deny it," Kimber demanded.

"I guess that I'm not as good of a spy as I thought," Zack grumbled.

"You're not playing a joke on her, are you?" Kimber needled.

"You know that I only play jokes on Misfits," Zack promised.

"Okay, I trust you," Kimber gave in.

Zack had time for one last dance with Raya before the enchanting night ended. Even though the song was "Everything I Do", he once again heard "Like A Dream" in his mind. When Zack was dancing with Raya, he got it in his mind that they were the only two people in the world. After the dance, Zack was extremely disappointed that that night was over.

"I enjoyed dancing with you, Raya," Zack declared.

"I enjoyed it too," Raya concurred.

"I was wondering if you would like to go see a movie sometime," Zack implored.

"With you?" Raya teased.

"That was the general idea," Zack replied with a mock pout.

"Okay, sounds like fun," Raya agreed.

Shana came over because she and Raya were going to go shopping after leaving the ball. Zack was thirsty from all of the dancing so he got one last glass of apple juice. Upon drinking that, he went to the Countess to thank her for inviting him. Just before doing that, Shana ran to him with a look of extreme terror on her face.

"What's wrong?" Zack asked.

"Raya's been kidnapped!" Shana shrieked with tears in her eyes. 


	5. Kiss And Not Tell

"What was that?" Zack Morgan snarled with his fists clenched.

"Three thugs came and pushed me down!" Shana cried out. "They then grabbed Raya and took her inside a white van!"

"Did they have any weapons?" Zack demanded.

"N-No," Shana stuttered.

"Does Raya still have her purse?" Zack questioned.

"What difference does that make ?" Shana blurted out.

"Does she still have her purse?" Zack repeated sternly.

"Yes! So what?" Shana cried out. "I don't think that they're going to let her fix her makeup!"

"Thank you for inviting me, Countess, but I better be going," Zack commented.

"Where are you going?" Jerrica pleaded.

"To the mattresses!" Zack exclaimed.

"What does that mean?" Kimber demanded.

"It's from The Godfather," Zack explained.

"You don't watch violent movies," Shana debated.

"I learned it from a different movie," Zack finished. "Excuse me,"

"Be careful," Jerrica pleaded.

"Tell that to the thugs!" Zack snorted as he walked away.

"How does he even think he is going to find Raya?" Aja asked when Zack was already halfway across the dance floor.

"I think I know," Kimber mused.

"Okay, spill it!" Aja ordered.

"I saw him slip something into her purse," Kimber revealed.

"You mean like a homing beacon," Shana guessed.

"That would be my guess," Kimber agreed.

Zack left the ballroom feeling as if he had the whole world on his shoulders. He had a knot in his stomach because he had the slightest doubt in his mind that he could save Raya. He took a deep breath to get it out of mind and then opened the secret compartment inside his sidecar. He picked up a device that had a flat screen and turned it on. A small blip appeared on the screen causing a grim smile to appear on his face.

"Aha!" Zack cackled. "The game's afoot!"

Zack fastened the device on the right handlebar and then put a lock pick in his pocket. His last action before getting on his bike was fastening his helmet on his head.

"Are you sure that you want to do this?" Jerrica probed with Rio in tow.

"Oh, yes!" Zack grunted as he started his bike.

"Good luck, then," Jerrica sighed.

Our knight in shining armor drove off with a look of grim determination in his voice. The radar system on his bike was steadily beeping. As he was driving towards destiny, a Jem song was playing in his mind.

Don't look now here comes trouble (Trouble)  
>Here comes trouble headin' my way (Trouble)<br>With a jolt here comes trouble (Trouble)  
>Turnin' my blue skies to grey<p>

I feel Trouble, Trouble, Trouble  
>I feel Trouble, Trouble, Trouble<br>Comin' my way

I feel good, but here comes trouble (Trouble)  
>Here comes trouble draggin' me down (Trouble)<br>With a jump here comes trouble (Trouble)  
>Turnin' my smile to a frown<p>

I feel Trouble, Trouble, Trouble  
>I feel Trouble, Trouble, Trouble<br>Comin' my way  
>I feel Trouble, Trouble, Trouble<br>I feel Trouble, Trouble, Trouble  
>Comin' my way<br>(I feel trouble, Trouble, Trouble, Trouble, I feel trouble)

Before long, his radar started beeping loudly causing Zack to pull into an alley out of sight. He flung his helmet into the sidecar and entered the street to look around. He instantly focused on the restaurant The Krispy Kritter which had been closed for years.

"Gotcha!" Zack barked to himself while walking to a pay phone to call Jerrica's mobile line.

"Who's there?" Jerrica asked in a panicky voice.

"Me," Zack answered.

"What are you doing?" Jerrica demanded. "Where are you?"

"They are holding her at The Krispy Kritter so now it's time for fun," Zack answered just before hanging up.

Zack decided that it would not be wise to enter through the front so he headed to the back door. He was not surprised that the door was locked. Zack took out his pick and had the door open in ten seconds. He tiptoed through the kitchen so he could carefully peek through the round window of the silver door. Raya had her back to him with her hands tied behind her and a gag in her mouth. The three thugs were seated at a table near the front exit playing poker. Zack decided that it would be better if the thugs came to him so he purposely knocked over a fire extinguisher and hid to the left side of the door.

"What's that?" the lead thug asked to start a conversation that out hero couldn't hear.

"I don't know," a henchman said.

"Well, go see!" the leader demanded.

"Okay!" the henchman gave in.

The henchman walked across the room and entered the kitchen to get the surprise of his life in the form of a guy wearing glasses and a black tuxedo.

"Hello!" Zack greeted as he kicked the thug in the stomach.

"HELP!" the thug screamed just before getting punched in the face.

Zack knocked out the thug by grabbing his arm and throwing him into a wall. He beat the second thug into submission with a skillet to the stomach and a punch to the face.

"If you want something done right, do it yourself!" the leader growled as he walked across the room to open the door to the kitchen.

Before he could open the door, it flew open to send him for a slide on the floor. The leader got a look of terror when he saw the almost crazed look on Zack's face.

"Little pig! Little pig! Let me in!" Zack sang out with a maniacal voice.

"Mhhmm!" Raya cried out which probably meant "Save me!"

"How did you find us?" the leader asked.

"Like I'm telling you!" Zack laughed as he started to hear sirens.

"The cops!" the thug called out.

"What are you going to do now?" Zack wondered.

"I'm going with them!" the bad guy barked as he ran out the door to turn himself in.

"Wise choice!" Zack laughed.

Zack clapped his hands together in a gesture of success and then untied Raya to get the hug of his life and a kiss on the cheek.

"You okay?" Zack asked Raya as the police came in to arrest the bad guys.

"I am now," Raya choked out.

"Let's get you home," Zack insisted.

"I'm all for that," Raya agreed.

After the police were done with their investigation, Zack escorted Raya to his bike and handed her his spare helmet. He drove to Starlight Mansion with one thought. He wanted to find the people responsible and make them pay. When Raya exited the bike, she received a shock when Zack hesitated to get off.

"What are you doing?" Raya demanded.

"I'm going to check a few things out," Zack hedged.

"NO!" Raya cried out as a tear ran down her face. "Stay here with me!"

"Okay," Zack gave in while shutting off his bike.

Zack and Raya hadn't gotten halfway across the lawn when the Holograms and Rio came out to greet them. After they all hugged Raya, they turned their attention to the hero.

"You crazy idiot!" Kimber cried out as she hugged him.

"I'll second that!" Shana agreed with a hug.

"You are worth every penny we pay you!" Aja complimented.

"There's going to be something extra in your next check," Jerrica promised.

"This one is on the house," Zack refused with a shake of his head.

"I knew he'd say that," Aja giggled.

"We'd better get inside," Rio commented. "We let the girls stay up a little later so they could see what happened."

"Let's hear it for the hero!" Jerrica called out when everyone got inside causing the girls to clap and cheer.

"Okay, everybody go to bed now," Aja insisted as she escorted all of the girls upstairs.

Everybody went upstairs to leave Zack and Raya alone. Shortly after that, Raya started to cry. Zack gave her a box of tissues and helped her into a chair.

"Thank you," Raya sobbed as Zack sat in a chair and held her hand. "You are very kind."

"Are you sure you're okay?" Zack probed.

"I was so scared!" Raya cried out.

"I was worried about you," Zack confided.

"You were?" Raya squeaked.

"I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to help you and if something happened…" Zack spouted.

Raya silenced Zack with a finger to his lips and then kissed him. There was nothing he could do but enjoy it.


	6. Clowning Around

Zack Morgan went downstairs to breakfast the next day with his head in a daze. Raya had given him a very tender kiss on the night that he saved her from three kidnappers. He had enjoyed it at the time, but now it scared him. What did it mean? They had just met. He assumed that Raya had reached out to him because of how upset she was, but he still couldn't be sure. The thought of dating Raya was definitely appealing to him, but he wanted to take things slow.

"Hello, Zack," Jerrica greeted when he entered the kitchen to collect his pancakes.

"Good morning," Zack yawned.

"Rest up from last night?" Jerrica asked with a look of concern.

"Not really," Zack confided.

"You'll be able to watch the autograph session at the mall today, won't you?" Jerrica probed.

"Wouldn't miss it," Zack replied with as much enthusiasm as he could muster.

"Are you okay?" Jerrica wondered.

"I just have something on mind," Zack gave in.

"Want to talk about it?" Jerrica offered.

"I do, but not with you," Zack replied.

"Oh, I see," Jerrica giggled with a look of understanding. "Well, I'm sure that Raya will be down shortly."

"I hope so," Zack sighed just as Raya came in.

"I'm hungry!" Raya piped up when she came in.

"Raya, could we please talk outside for a moment?" Zack asked.

"Okay," Raya grumbled while looking longingly at the pancakes.

Zack and Raya went into the backyard while he tried to think of what he wanted to say.

"Is something on your mind?" Raya questioned.

"Do you think that we're moving too fast," Zack countered.

"I guess so," Raya agreed.

"We have just met," Zack explained.

"I agree," Raya answered. "I wouldn't have kissed you if I hadn't been so upset. I just needed to be closer to you at the time."

"I understand," Zack put in.

"Do you regret what we did last night?" Raya wanted to know.

"I could never regret it!" Zack debated. "I really enjoyed it and it was my first kiss."

"I'm glad that you don't regret it because I know that I don't," Raya replied with a grin as he put her hand on Zack's shoulder sending a jolt through his arm.

"Even though I enjoyed it at the time, it scared me a little afterwards," Zack confided. "I want to take things slow."

"So do I," Raya concurred. "Will you be watching over us at the mall?"

"I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't," Zack promised. "I'll meet you girls there. There a few things that I have to take care of first."

"How mysterious," Raya laughed.

Zack went back to the kitchen to eat his breakfast with his heart feeling a lot lighter after his talk with Raya. After that, he went to his room to get a bag that contained some special clothes that he wanted to wear during the autograph session. Since he still had two hours before he had to be at the mall, he went to his bike to have a heart-to-heart talk with the people responsible for the misfortune that Raya had on the previous night. As he was driving off, he decided to talk first with the person who had started the whole thing.

"You can't hide from me, lady!" Zack cackled as if that person could hear him. "I know where you live!"

A sense of anticipation hit Zack as he neared the small blue house of his target. He smiled as he thought how happy the woman would be see him. He rang the doorbell and waited with his arms folded.

"You!" Clash exclaimed as she tried to shut the door only to be stopped by Zack barreling his shoulder into the door.

"I thought that we should have a little talk!" Zack demanded.

"About what?" Clash snarled.

"Where were you last night?" Zack probed.

"I was here," Clash growled.

"You sure?" Zack argued.

"You calling me a liar?" Clash howled.

"The reason that I'm a little skeptical is that there was a blonde spying on me at the Countess' party last night," Zack interrogated. "Shortly after that, Raya was kidnapped."

"Surely you can see that I am not blonde," Clash pointed out.

"I know how much you like to play dress-up!" Zack debated with his eyes flaring.

"I don't like what I'm hearing!" Clash snapped.

"Then hear this!" Zack threatened. "If I find out that you were responsible for endangering a member of my family, then you will truly be sorry!"

"Family?" Clash hissed. "Who are you? The Godfather!"

Zack replied by scratching his chin with his fingers and mumbling with an Italian accent.

"Think you're funny?" Clash demanded causing Zack to shrug his shoulders.

"I have had enough!" Clash shouted just before slamming the door.

After having a good belly laugh at Clash's expense, Zack headed for Misfits Music. He parked in an alley and waited for his next target to show up. When the target showed up, Zack jumped out and cleared his throat.

"You!" Eric Raymond gasped in surprise.

"Me," Zack answered.

"What do you want?" Eric sneered.

"I had a rather interesting night last night," Zack revealed.

"So?" Eric countered.

"Raya was kidnapped and I had to save her," Zack stated.

"Why are you telling me this?" Eric demanded.

"Those idiots are in police custody right now and they could be singing their hearts out now," Zack explained.

"You don't have anything on me!" Eric debated.

"Maybe not, but if something like this happens to my family again, our next meeting will not be so pleasant," Zack promised.

"You aren't even related to the Holograms," Eric debated.

"My parents told me that family isn't about blood, it's about the people who love you," Zack explained. "Excuse me."

* * *

><p>"Ladies and gentleman!" a voice over the loudspeaker called out. "The Porter Mall is proud to present Jem and The Holograms!"<p>

Jem and her group exited a corridor and sat a table in front of Macy's. They saw fans lined up clear across the mall and a stage set up just in front of their table. What they did not see was their protector. They couldn't understand what had happened to him. He had never missed an engagement before.

"To entertain you while you wait in line, we bring you Flippy the clown!" the loudspeaker announced.

A clown dressed as a sad hobo with red hair ran to the stage carrying a box. He slid the box onto the stage and climbed the steps. He tripped on the last step making everyone laugh. The clown dusted himself off and blew a balloon just to turn it into a dog.

A middle aged man with black hair and a blonde woman approached the Holograms while the clown played with some magic rings. When the couple got to the table, the clown dropped a ring on the stage and pretended that he couldn't find it.

"Are you Raya?" the man asked the new drummer.

"Yes," Raya replied.

"We'd like your autograph," the man spoke out as he handed Raya one of her pictures.

"Wow, I didn't think someone would want my autograph so soon!" Raya cried out ins surprise.

"It was bound to happen eventually," Aja answered.

"Whom should I make it out to?" Raya probed.

"Chad and Cynthia Morgan," the woman answered.

"Did you say Morgan?" Raya gasped.

"Our son has told us a lot about you," Chad revealed.

"Rio, please get two more chairs for our guests," Jem ordered.

"Right away," Rio agreed.

"So Zack told you about me?" Raya asked when Zack's parents sat down.

"He certainly has," Chad replied.

"Good things, I hope," Raya quipped as the clown lost his hat.

"Sure," Cynthia agreed. "Where is he anyway?"

"He should be around someplace," Jem commented.

"He does this all the time," Aja joked. "He likes to hide in the shadows until the Misfits cause trouble and then… BAM!"

During the whole time the Holograms were signing autographs, the loudspeaker was playing Jem songs. All of a sudden the speaker played "We're Making Mischief".

"I think we should be seeing Zack about now," Kimber stated.

The clown held his ears for a split second and then started juggling. Pizzazz came from out of nowhere and tried to cover Jem with silly string. The clown knocked the can out of her hand with one of his juggling balls.

"Why don't you mind your own business, you stupid clown?" Pizzazz squealed.

The clown stuck his thumbs in his ears, wriggled his fingers and stuck out his tongue.

"I'll get him!" Stormer promised as she ran up the steps only to have the clown hit her with a pie that he had gotten from his box.

"Why you!" Roxy cried out as she charged the clown.

The clown responded by tripping Roxy to the stage and shrugging his shoulders to the crowd.

"You're really asking for it!" Jetta howled.

The clown jumped up repeatedly and shook his fists to challenge Jetta to a fight.

"That's it!" Jetta cried out as she charged the clown only to get drenched to the bone with a seltzer bottle.

"We're going to pummel you, clown!" Pizzazz thundered as she started to climb the stage.

The clown opened his wallet and showed Pizzazz his driver's license to reveal his identity.

"Playtime is over ladies!" Zack called out causing the Misfits to run away.

The clown walked off the stage to thunderous applause and hugged his parents.

"We thought that was you," Zack's father mentioned. "You always did like clowns as a kid."

"You were so funny!" Kimber congratulated.

"Sometimes I love my job!" Zack declared. "I get to bash Misfits and get paid for it!"


	7. Rio's Challenge

AN: I know the movie You've Got Mail came after Jem. Let's pretend that it didn't.

It took a while for our hero Zack Morgan to change out of his clown outfit and into his normal clothes. It made his heart soar to think about all of the people that he made laugh. It made him ecstatic that a lot of those laughs had come at the expense of the Misfits. After Zack got dressed in his normal clothes, he headed back into the mall to meet Raya and his parents. They had agreed to have dinner out Taco Bell so his parents could find out more about her.

Upon arriving at the restaurant, Zack and looked at Raya and noticed how nervous she was at the concept of having dinner with his parents. When Raya looked at Zack, he saw in her eyes that she would soon make him pay by making him meet her family. Zack shrugged his shoulders when he decided that this was one of the prices of dating.

"Tell me about yourself, Raya," Chad Morgan requested when they sat at their table.

"My family is from Mexico," Raya offered.

"You just recently joined the Holograms, didn't you?" Cynthia Morgan asked.

"I was elected to replace our drummer during a talent search," Raya replied. "Her fashion designing career didn't work out so she plays bass guitar now."

"How exciting," Cynthia acknowledged.

"Speaking of excitement, I heard that you had a lot of it recently, Zack," Chad declared with a stern look.

That question tugged at Zack's heart because he saw Raya's face droop because of the memory it brought up.

"Yes, I did," Zack admitted.

"You took a big risk doing what you did," Chad admonished.

"I know, but the Holograms are like part of my family," Zack debated. "I would do the same for any one of them."

"Maybe we should talk about this later," Cynthia piped out when she saw how upset Raya was getting.

"I'm sorry, Raya," Chad apologized. "I didn't mean to upset you."

"It's… okay," Raya sighed.

"Son, I think you stole the show from your friends today," Cynthia mock scolded with a grin.

"Especially since ten kids wanted your autograph," Chad added.

"We didn't mind it too much," Raya laughed since she was happy due to the change of subject. "I especially liked the part when you showed Pizzazz your driver's license. I thought that her eyes were going to pop out of her head."

"I'm glad you liked it," Zack giggled.

"Poor Kimber was laughing so much, she had tears running down he face!" Raya cried out.

"I know I enjoyed it," Chad put in. "You just might have a career to fall back on in case the music business doesn't work out."

"I'll have to think about it," Zack replied.

"Zack, you are right about Raya being pretty," Chad complimented.

"Why, thank you!" Raya acknowledged while blushing.

After everyone ate their meal, they paid and went outside. Zack hugged his parents goodbye and then started walking with Raya towards his bike.

"Of course you know that you're going to have to meet my family since I've met yours," Raya needled.

"I'm aware of that," Zack replied nervously.

"They'll like you," Raya comforted.

"Maybe they'll ask me for my autograph," Zack quipped.

"You never know!" Raya laughed.

Zack got to his bike with Raya and handed her a helmet which she hesitated to take.

"Is something wrong?" Zack probed.

"I don't want to go home yet," Raya pleaded.

"What do you want to do?" Zack questioned.

"Remember that movie we talked about at the dance?" Raya said with a flirtatious look.

"I believe so," Zack answered.

"Let's go see one now," Raya implored.

"I like that idea," Zack agreed. "What movie would you like to see?"

"Let's decide when we get there," Raya hedged.

"Sounds like a plan," Zack answered with a grin as he handed Raya her helmet.

Zack drove off with Raya to The Silver Marquee. It was a small theater with a brick front. Upon entering, Zack and Raya spent five minutes looking at the list of movies.

"Let's see 'You've Got Mail'," Raya suggested.

"I like that movie," Zack agreed.

"We can see something else if you have already seen it," Raya put in.

"I don't mind," Zack answered to silence the debate.

"Okay, but don't give anything away," Raya warned.

"You mean like the butler did it?" Zack teased.

"Hey!" Raya protested.

"Relax, there is no butler in the movie," Zack laughed.

"There better not be or you'll be in trouble," Raya countered with a light punch to Zack's arm.

"Would you like me to get you any snacks?" Zack wondered.

"I could go for some popcorn," Raya answered.

Zack payed for borh tickets. He also bought a tub of popcorn for the two of them to share and a diet coke for each of them. They sat in the middle of the theater and waited patiently for the movie to begin. The movie You've Got Mail was about two rival bookstore owners who talked via e-mail and didn't know it. Even though Tom Hank's character eventually put Meg Ryan's character out of business, they eventually fell in love. This just happened to be the movie where Zack learned the quote about going to the mattresses.

Halfway through the romantic movie, Zack got ideas about advancing his relationship with Raya even though he had told her that he wanted to take it slow. He had meant it at the time but now he wasn't so sure. Zack got the idea of putting his arm around Raya's shoulders but he decided that was going to far. He settled for the idea of putting his hand on hers. Raya smiled and grasped Zack's hand. She then did something that completely surprised him. She rested her head on his arm.

"Too far?" Raya asked.

"I don't have a problem with it," Zack answered.

When the movie ended, Zack and Raya walked to his bike holding hands which made him all the more confused. He woke up the next morning feeling much like he had the morning before. He thought that he had solved his problem with Raya, but he had been wrong. After he had finished eating his fried eggs and toast with the Holograms, Zack shoved his plate away with a frown on his face.

"Problem?" Aja asked.

"Well, I..." Zack started to respond only to be interupted by a loud chorus of laughter coming from the dining room.

"I've got to get in on this!" Zack replied as he quickly left the living room.

He found all of the Starlight girls huddled in front of the television laughing hysterically.

"What's so funny?" Zack wanted to know.

"YOU!" all of the girls sang out while pointing at him.

Zack looked at the television and saw a familiar clown hitting Stormer with a pie. The girls had expected to see a news report of Jem signing autographs but were instead being treated to Zack's hilarious romp with the Misfits.

"So you girls think I make a good clown?" Zack asked with a smile.

"You are the best clown that I've ever seen!" Ashley chortled.

"I'll second that!" Shana concurred when the Holograms entered just in time to see Zack showing his driver's license to Pizzazz.

"Look at them run!" Ba Nee cried out with tears in her eyes.

Shortly after the news report was over, everyone could hear Jerrica and Rio fighting in the kitchen.

"What is it now?" Zack snapped.

"What do you think?" Aja replied.

"Oh, that," Zack sighed.

After five minutes of yelling had past, Jerrica left the mansion in a huff. Zack knew that she was probably going to Starlight Music. That was when our hero got an idea. Maybe Zack and Jerrica could help each other with their perspective problems. This caused him to go to his bike and drive to meet Jessica. He drove slowly to make sure Jessica got there first. Upon arriving, Zack said hello to the secretary and entered the office.

"Need to talk?" Zack offered as he sat down in front of her desk.

"Do you think I should tell Rio?" Jerrica pondered.

"I'm in no position to tell anyone how to live their life," Zack answered.

"But..." Jerrica pressed.

"It could come back to bite you if Rio finds out for himself," Zack pointed out. "You got lucky the last time he figured it out. He might not buy your Jem hologram next time."

"As I recall, that trick didn't work on you," Jerrica laughed.

"I guess that I'm more stubborn than Rio," Zack reasoned.

"What if he gets so mad at me that he breaks up with me?" Jerrica asked. "You know how much he hates liars."

"At least you'll know and then you can stop worrying about it," Zack said.

"I'll think about it," Jerrica sighed. "Now what about you?"

"Me?" Zack asked.

"I've known you long enough to know when you have a problem," Jerrica replied. "Is this about Raya?"

"Do you know what happened the night after I brought Raya home?" Zack wondered.

"I saw you two kissing," Jerrica confessed.

"You did?" Zack gasped.

"I was worried about Raya so I was about to go downstairs to check on her," Jerrica explained. "I didn't make it to the first step."

"The next morning, I talked with Raya and we agreed to slow down," Zack declared. "Only, we went to see a romantic movie last night which caused us to get a little romatic with each other. Now, I don't know what I want."

"Do what you think is right," Jerrica suggested.

"What if I don't know what that is?" Zack cried out.

"Search yourself until you find the answer," Jerrica ordered.

"Doesn't sound easy," Zack sighed.

"It never is," Jerrica agreed.

After thanking Jerrica for her help, Zack left Starlight Music just in time to run into Rio.

"What are you doing here?" Rio grumbled.

"I was talking to Jerrica," Zack answered.

"You seem to be in the middle of everything," Rio accused.

"So," Zack barked.

"You know something!" Rio spat.

"Who me?" Zack squeaked.

"You know who Jem is!" Rio shot out.


	8. Eric Raymond's Offer

"Excuse me?" Zack Morgan cried out.

"Don't deny it!" Rio warned.

"Fine, I do know!" Zack snapped. "So what?"

"Who is she?" Rio pressed.

"I can't tell you that!" Zack refused.

"I can't believe that she would tell you and not me!" Rio fumed.

"She did not tell me," Zack debated.

"So you were sneaking around!" Rio accused.

"I do not sneak and I resent that insinuation," Zack protested.

"Why won't you tell me?" Rio demanded.

"I promised Jem that I wouldn't tell anybody," Zack declared. "If you want to know so bad, then why don't you ask her?"

"I can't believe this!" Rio barked.

"You are asking me to betray my family and I won't do that," Zack argued. "Besides, I'd be out on my ear if I told anybody."

"Rio, what are you doing?" Jerrica asked when she exited the building.

While the three friends continue their argument, let us shift our focus to a nearby alley. Lurking in this particular hiding place was a purple haired witch wearing trashy clothes who heard the whole thing. She now had ammunition to use against her worst enemy. After the three friends went back into the building, Clash entered her orange compact to tell her employer what she had heard.

After leaving Starlight Music, our hero went to the nearest diner for a snack in a foul mood. If his confusion about Raya hadn't been bad enough, he was now also upset over his fight with Rio. He could not believe that one of his own friends had asked him to betray his family. A few seconds after his apple pie came, he was approached by a friend with orange hair and a star over one eye.

"Would you like some company, Zack?" Video offered.

"Sure," Zack murmured while motioning to the booth he was sitting in.

"You okay?" Video asked.

"I was just came in here to think about some things," Zack explained.

"I hear that you and Raya are becoming an item," Video mentioned.

"I'm not sure what we are," Zack grumbled. He decided not to tell Video about his other problem for obvious reasons.

"Do you want to be?" Video questioned.

"The thought has entered my mind, but I just don't know," Zack mentioned. "Raya and I decided to take things slow. The thing is, we went to see a movie last night and our emotions got charged up a little."

"Let me guess," Video quizzed. "It was a romantic movie."

"You are smart," Zack complimented.

"So what are you going to do?" Video wondered.

"My dad told me that dating is like chasing butterflies," Zack mused.

"If you move to fast, you'll scare the girl away?" Video guessed.

"Bingo!" Zack confirmed. "Part of me wants to go slow and part of me wants to move a little faster. What do you think I should do?"

"Search your heart for the right answer," Video advised.

"That's basically what Jerrica said," Zack answered just as Video's face cringed in a look of disgust.

"What's wrong?" Zack asked causing Video to point to the booth in front of him. Zack looked in that direction to see a familiar rat in a suit.

"I'd be careful sitting with her," Eric Raymond needled. "Raya might get jealous."

"Video is my friend as if it's any of your business," Zack snorted.

"Oh, I see," Eric replied.

"To what do I owe the immense displeasure of this meeting?" Zack barked. "What do you really want?"

"I thought that we might do a little business," Eric proposed.

"That's a laugh," Video growled.

"What makes you think that I would do business with a rat like you?" Zack demanded.

Eric took a check out of pocket and laid it on the table. It was for ten thousand dollars.

"Just what is that for?" Zack spat.

"Tell me who Jem is," Eric answered.

"I get it," Zack sang out. "Clash has been spying on me again."

"Clash?" Eric squeaked.

"Oh, please!" Zack snorted. "We both know that she is your little gopher!"

"I don't understand," Eric replied.

"Gopher coffee… Gopher donuts… Gopher the four-eyed geek and spy on him…" Zack explained.

"Think about it," Eric suggested. "This offer is one-time only."

"Let me give you some advice," Zack suggested with an evil grin. "Take that check out of my face before I cram it down your throat and make you eat it!"

"Excuse me," Eric squeaked with a scared look on his face.

"How dare you, you stupid little twit!" Zack thundered with an incensed look on his face. "How dare you think that I would betray my family for any amount of money!"

By the look of Eric Raymond's face, one might of thought that he was about to wet his pants.

"Why don't you leave before I put you into orbit?" Zack suggested with a threatening look.

Eric Raymond followed the suggestion by grabbing the check and running like a lunatic. This drew a great deal of laughter from Zack.

"Can you believe that idiot?" Zack asked Video.

"Wow, you know who Jem is?" Video gasped.

"It would seem so," Zack replied.

"Must be a burden," Video guessed.

"Not usually," Zack put out.

"How is it usually" Video wanted to know.

"It makes me feel like I'm part of the family because I know," Zack answered.

"She told you?" Video probed.

"Not exactly," Zack coughed.

After Zack finished his pie and said goodbye to Video, he decided to go on a side trip before going home. What he wanted to do more than anything else at the moment was to pay his spy a visit. He soon drove his motorcycle to the blue house of his target. After putting away his helmet, he rang the doorbell.

"What do you want?" Clash hissed.

"I'm just here to say hello to my old friend," Zack teased.

"I am not your friend!" Clash barked.

"Aw, Clash!" Zack whined while pretending to cry. "Now you've hurt my feelings!"

"Are you going to tell me what you want?" Clash demanded.

"It seems that you've gotten the habit of spying on me," Zack revealed.

"That's what you think," Clash debated.

"If I catch you spying on me, you won't like it so knock it off!" Zack demanded just before leaving.

Zack drove back to Starlight Mansion with smoke coming out of his ears. He did not know the reception that would be waiting for him when he arrived due to Video's phone call. He was mad because of the two people that tried to get him to betray his family. Truthfully, he was only mad at Rio. He expected this from the rat. When Zack got home, he expressed his feelings.

"That stupid little freak!" Zack cried out while slamming the door.

"Calm down , Zack!" Kimber suggested.

"Sorry," Zack apologized.

Jerrica looked at Zack with an almost teary look in his face. She then walked over and kissed his cheek.

"What's this for?" Zack wondered.

"We are very proud of you!" Jerrica gasped as if she was about to cry.

"Have you been talking with Video?" Zack guessed.

"She called earlier," Aja confirmed.

"Ten thousand dollars," Shana sang out in wonder.

"The day I get tempted by that snake is the day I get fitted for a casket!" Zack spat.

"You seem angry," Raya declared with a look of admiration.

"I'll get them back on the baseball diamond tomorrow," Zack promised.


	9. Batter Up

Zack Morgan got up the next day to prepare for the annual charity softball game with the Misfits. He enjoyed beating the Misfits, but this time it was personal. He wanted to make Eric Raymond pay for his insult of the day before. Above all else, he knew that today's game would be a lot more fun now that Raya was a Hologram.

Zack entered the kitchen to have breakfast with his teammates. He could definitely feel the tension in the air. He started pancakes and oatmeal since he knew that he would need energy to beat the Misfits.

"You ready for the game?" Shana asked our hero.

"You bet I am!" Zack replied. "I'm looking forward to paying back that idiot for the way he insulted me!"

"Save it for the field, Zack!" Kimber ordered. "We need our clean-up hitter to be focused!"

"Who else will be playing besides us?" Zack probed.

"Video and Danse will be filling out our team," Jerrica stated.

"I sure hope we win," Zack mused. "If we don't, the rat will probably invent some scheme to keep the money for himself."

"You said it!" Raya answered.

After eating breakfast, Zack ran up to his room to change into his uniform that had the Jem logo on the shirt. He then grabbed his equipment bag which contained his day clothes and headed downstairs to go to the park to warm up before the big game. Upon arriving downstairs, Zack found Rio standing on a ladder so he could change a light bulb on the ceiling. Rio dropped the bulb which Zack deftly caught. When he handed the bulb back up to Rio, he felt some tension that was left over from the fight they had about Jem. This was unsettling to Zack so he made a beeline for the door.

"Hit a homer for us, Zack!" Ba Nee requested.

"I'll try," Zack promised as he left.

Zack started his bike and headed for the city park to work out. He started with several stretches to loosen himself up. He was about to go for his run when Rio drove up in his black van.

"Hello," Zack greeted tentatively.

"Look, I'm sorry for the way I acted yesterday," Rio apologized as he extended his hand. "I had no right to drag you into the spat I was having with Jerrica."

"Thanks," Zack replied while shaking Rio's hand.

"I am curious as to how you know," Rio mused.

"I am afraid that there is no way to tell you that without revealing the whole thing," Zack refused.

"I figured as much," Rio grumbled. "How about telling me what happened with Eric Raymond?"

"I thought Video told you," Zack stated.

"She only told us that Eric tried to get you to betray Jem," Rio replied. "I am more interested in the gory details."

"First, Eric accused me of cheating on Raya just because I was sitting with Video," Zack related to Rio.

"That cad!" Rio spat.

"When I told him to mind his own business, he dangled the carrot-on-a-stick in front of my face," Zack declared.

"Then what did you do?" Rio questioned.

"I told him to get it out of my face before I made him eat it!" Zack growled.

"I would have loved to see that!" Rio laughed.

"Finally, I told him to leave before I put him into orbit," Zack finished.

"I assumed that he left," Rio guessed.

"Like his pants were on fire!" Zack chortled.

"That's funny!" Rio snickered.

"I was just about to go for a run to get ready for the game," Zack revealed. "Care to join me?"

"Sure," Rio answered.

Zack and Rio ran around the park several times to get in shape for the charity softball game. Zack enjoyed the park because of the scenery and the people there. He thought about winning the game to make a point to his enemies. He also thought about what he wanted to do about Raya. Did he want to go faster or slow down? When the run was over, he was still no closer to solving his problem so with a sigh he headed back to his motorcycle.

When Zack followed Rio to the stadium, they headed to through the maze of tunnels to the dugout that was designated for the Holograms. When our hero got there, the first thing he noticed was Raya in her uniform. The sight took his breath away so he just stood there without blinking for a few seconds. For a split second, he thought that taking things slow with her wasn't a good idea.

"Hello, Zack," Raya greeted.

"H-hi," Zack stuttered. "Y-you look nice."

"You look pretty good yourself," Raya complimented.

"I'm glad you think so," Zack answered.

The rest of the Holograms were at the front of the dugout pretending not to notice the exchange even though they all had sly grins on their faces.

"I have a surprise for you after the game," Raya promised.

"R-really," Zack choked out. "What is it?"

"If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise, silly!" Raya admonished while tweaking Zack's nose causing him to blush completely.

The home plate umpire called both team captains to bring in the lineup cards so Jem went out to meet Pizzazz. The umpire ordered to the two combatants to shake hands, but before they could do so, Zack yelled for Jem to stop. Fortunately, he had wandered to the top step so he could keep an eye on the green haired menace. Jem looked at Zack and he pointed to his right hand with his left. Jem looked back at Pizzazz and saw a joy buzzer in her hand.

"Party pooper!" Pizzazz screamed while trying to throw the joy buzzer at Zack's head which he easily dodged. Jem smiled while tipping her cap to her protector and he returned the gesture.

After the business with the joy buzzer was settled, the umpire held a coin toss which Jem won which meant that the Holograms got to be the home team. When Jem got back to the dugout, she patted Zack on the back to further display gratitude for his assistance. Soon it was time for the players to be announced by Lindsey Pierce otherwise known as Lin-Z.

"Greetings and welcome to the third annual Rocking Sock'em Charity Bash between the Hologram and the Miisfits. The winning team will win a trophy and five thousand dollars to their favorite charity. I am Lin-Z and now it's time to announce our teams.

"First, the Misfits. Batting leadoff and playing right field, technical consultant for the Misfits, Constance 'Clash' Montgomery."

"If she's a technical consultant then I'm the President of the United States," Zack grunted from the dugout as his favorite spy run onto the field.

"Next, playing first base Mary 'Stormer' Phillips. Playing second base, the manager of the Misfits, Eric Raymond. Batting cleanup and playing catcher Phyllis 'Pizzazz' Gabor."

Pizzazz shook her fist at Lin-Z for mentioning her real name.

"Playing left, key grip for the Misfits, Lloyd Pierce."

"Isn't it interesting that the bad guys can get henchmen anytime they need it," Zack commented.

"I hear you," Jem agreed.

"Playing third, keyboard player Roxanne 'Roxy' Pellegrini. Playing center, roadie Pierre Carmichael. Next shortstop, sister of Roxy, Claire Pellegrini."

"I didn't know she had a sister," Zack mentioned.

"Hmm…" Kimber pondered.

"Batting last, pitcher and backup singer, Shelia 'Jetta' Burns."

"Now the Holograms!" Lin-Z broadcasted to draw applause from the crowd.

"Leadoff and first base, newcomer drummer Carmen 'Raya' Alonso. Second base and on keyboard, Kimber Benton. Playing center, roadie Rio Pacheco. Batting cleanup and playing right field, the muscle and resident clown of the Holograms, Zack Morgan."

When Zack ran out onto the field, he tipped his cap to his parents who were sitting in the stands by the third base line.

"Playing third base and bass guitar Shana Elmsford. Shortstop is choreographer Giselle 'Danse' Dvorak. Third base is bass guitarist Shana Elmsford. Third base is videographer Vivian 'Video' Montgomery. Batting last and pitching for the Holograms, we have Jem!"

The game began after the National Anthem and it did not go well for the Holograms at first. Clash started the game with a single and Pizzazz hit a home run to make the score 2-0. The Holograms left the bases loaded in their half of the inning. Even though our hero struck out in his first at bat, he managed to foul off several pitches so he could learn all of Jetta's tendencies.

It looked as if the Holograms would get in further trouble when Roxy hit a double, but they got out of further damage when Jetta hit a single to Rio who gunned Roxy down at the plate. In the bottom half of the inning, the bases were loaded when Zack tied the score with a single to tie the game at two runs apiece.

The score stayed the same until the fifth inning when one of Eric Raymond's goons hit a three run homer. The Holograms would have been in deeper if it weren't for a shoe-string catch Zack made in the fourth and a diving catch that he made in the fifth.

It got to the top of the last inning and the Misfits were up by three. Pizzazz came to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs. She sent a screeching fly ball to right and a sense of doom came over the Holograms. Zack ran to the wall and leaped. He stuck his glove over the wall and came back down. A hush came over the crowd when the right fielder looked into his glove. The crowd erupted when Zack took the ball out of his glove and threw it to the infield. The Holograms were all patting his back on the way to the dugout.

So it came down to the last half inning. The first batter grounded out to the infield. Jem started an offense with a single. Raya walked and Kimber got hit by a pitch. Rio struck out leaving the last out to our hero. As Zack was walking to the plate, he looked at his parents for encouragement. Just before he got to the plate, he looked to second where Raya was standing and she did something that sent a jolt through his body. She pointed to the stands and then blew a kiss to him. Did this mean that Raya intended to kiss him if he won the game with a grand slam. The thought was definitely appealing to him. Lin-Z was giving the play-by-play for the last batter of the game.

"The Holograms are down to their last out and here comes Zack Morgan. He has kept his team in this game by robbing a grand slam from Pizzazz of the Misfits. Here comes the first pitch. In the dirt for ball one. Jetta winds up for the second pitch and it's outside for ball two. It looks like Jetta is laboring. Zack misses the next pitch for a 2-1 count. Ooh, he fouls it off for strike two and the Holograms are down to their last strike. He needs to get hold of one here. The next pitch is high for a full count. Good eye for Zack. This could be the last pitch of the game. Here it comes. He puts a charge into it! This could get interesting! Clash is after it and it is off the wall! It bounces away from her and Zack is off to the races! This will tie up the game! Zack will have a standing triple easily, but wait! He's not stopping! He's trying to win the game by himself! This could be close!"

Clash's throw came in to third base side of the field which meant that Pizzazz had to be blocking the plate to get it. Out of the corner of her eye, Pizzazz saw a freight train charging toward her. The ball bounced on the field and Pizzazz reached out to catch it just as Zack barreled into her. The impact sent both players tumbling to the ground. Zack was barely able to brush the plate with his left hand when he hit the ground. The aftermath of the collision found Pizzazz on top of our hero.

"Ha! You're out!" Pizzazz gloated.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Zack asked while pointing towards the backstop where the ball lay which had squirted out of Pizzazz's glove when Zack hit.

"NO!" Pizzazz roared while jumping up.

"SAFE!" the home plate declared.

"YES!" Zack screamed as he got up.

The crowd erupted into a frenzy while Pizzazz headed to the dugout and slammed her mask down. Raya kissed Zack on the cheek sending a jolt through his whole body. Before he could do or say anything about it, he was mobbed by his teammates who hoisted him on their shoulders. Lin-Z came out to present the check and the trophy to Jem. Jem handed the trophy up to the hero of the day and he hoisted it to the sky to show his parents. While Zack was being carried off the field, he saw the Starlight girls acting like raving monkeys. The following song was playing on the PA system:

*not my song

All's right with the world (All's right with the world)  
>Everything is in sync,<br>Everything is alright!  
>Friends are friends again<br>(Friends are friends)  
>Everyone is in the pink,<br>Everything is alright!

I feel great again,  
>Feel first rate again,<br>I'm with the people I love,  
>Moonbeams are dancin' above<p>

All's right with the world (All's  
>right with the world)<br>Everything is in sync,  
>Everything is alright!<br>Friends are friends again  
>(Friends are friends)<p>

Everyone is in the pink,  
>Everything is alright!<p>

Things are hummin' now,  
>Things are drumin' now,<br>Harmony is restored!  
>We're singin', wingin', come on board!<p>

Whoa All's right with the world  
>(All's right with the world)<br>Everything is in sync,  
>Everything is alright!<br>Friends are friends again  
>(Friends are friends)<br>Everyone is in the pink,  
>Everything is alright!<br>All's right with the world (All's  
>right with the world)<br>Everything is alright!

While Zack was changing into his blue jeans and red shirt, he couldn't help but think of the surprise that Raya had waiting for him. He left the locker room with great anticipation to meet her.

"So you have a surprise for me?" Zack asked.

"Follow me!" Raya ordered.

Zack followed Raya out of the stadium where the Holograms where signing autographs. Several kids even wanted his autograph. Before long, a man and a woman asked Zack for his autograph. He looked at them, he looked at Raya and came to the only possible conclusion.

"Would your last name happen to be Alonso?" Zack asked the man.

"He is smart like you said, Raya!" the man complimented.

"Si, poppa!" Raya answered. "Zack, this is my poppa Carlos and my momma Maria."

"I didn't expect you to be asking for my autograph," Zack declared.

"I asked them to," Raya confessed. "I thought that it would be fitting."

That night Zack had dinner with Raya while being questioned by her parents


	10. Romance In Hawaii

A music group lived in a large mansion. That mansion was white with a red roof. Several foster children lived in this mansion alongside the rock group. One of the most noteworthy of the occupants was a man with short black hair and glasses. He was Zack Morgan, the security guard for Jem and the Holograms. His main job was to keep the Misfits at bay which was a full time occupation. This man had a budding relationship with the new drummer Raya Alonso. All of the other members of the Holograms could sense that this relationship was about to come to a boil.

The Holograms had spent the past two weeks rehearsing for an upcoming concert in Hawaii. Today was the last day before that concert. All of the members of the Holograms were in a small music studio busy making the final preparations except for Raya who had left to get a glass of water. Zack was sitting at the dining room table involved with an important meeting. He had a walkie talkie close by in case trouble arose.

"I can't wait to get to Hawaii!" Kimber exclaimed excitedly.

"Hawaii is a romantic place," Aja mused. "I wouldn't be surprised if things heated up over there."

"What do you mean?" Shana wanted to know.

"You know," Jem put out with a wink. "Between a certain drummer and a certain security guard."

"Oh, I get it," Shana giggled.

"I thought that Zack was going to turn into a statue when he came into the dugout and saw Raya in her uniform," Aja explained.

"Let's face it!" Kimber blurted out. "They are meant to be together!"

"How do you know?" Jem probed.

"Because he can't dance with anyone else," Kimber answered. "He was Prince Charming with Raya and he almost crippled me."

"Aren't you exaggerating?" Shana asked.

"Maybe a little," Kimber confessed.

Back in the main part of the mansion, Raya found out what Zack's meeting was all about. He was engrossed in a game with Candyland with Ba Nee, Ashley and Deidre. It was at this moment that Raya started think that maybe it was time to advance their relationship. She could see how good he was with children. She also knew how much the girls all looked up to Zack. She eventually woke up from her thoughts and decided to see who was winning.

"Who's winning?" Raya asked while tapping Zack on the shoulder.

Zack was so engrossed in the game, Raya's contact made him jump and drop his game piece.

"I'm sorry," Raya apologized.

"Ba Nee is winning," Zack answered while blushing. "I keep getting stuck in a tar pit."

"Poor baby," Raya teased. "I was on my way to the kitchen to get a drink of water."

"Let me know if the Marx sisters show up," Zack ordered.

"Okay," Raya replied with a thumbs-up just before leaving.

"You must really like her," Deidre guessed.

"I…" Zack muttered.

"We may be kids, but we're not blind," Ashley pointed out.

"I guess I do like her," Zack gave in.

There was a lot of activity the next day because it was time for everyone to get ready for their trip to Hawaii. Zack got up three hours before so he had enough time to make all of the necessary preparations. The last thing he did before leaving was to call his parents to let them know that he would be gone for two weeks.

Zack lugged his suitcase and carry-on bag downstairs and went outside to find Jerrica passing out the plane tickets. When she gave Zack his ticket, she grinned mischievously and winked at him. Zack crinkled his brow as he tried to figure out what that meant. He just gave up and climbed into Rio's van. The trip was uneventful while Zack watched the scenery go by.

When Zack boarded the plane, he saw that the Holograms including Rio were scattered all over coach. When he found his seat, he learned in an instant why Jerrica had winked at him. She had arranged for Zack to sit next to Raya.

"Would you like the window seat?" Raya offered.

"No, thank you," Zack refused while taking a Nancy Drew book out of his bag and putting the rest in the overhead compartment.

While Zack was reading his book, Raya was engrossed in a crossword puzzle until she came to a clue that she didn't know.

"Zack, what is six letters for Nancy Drew's tomboy friend?" Raya probed.

"George," Zack replied.

"You're smart," Raya complimented. "I bet that you could help me finish this."

Zack spent the next hour helping Raya with her puzzle until she dropped her pen. Zack and Raya both reached for it at the same time. Raya got there first and Zack's hand landed on top of hers sending a spark through his body. Zack blushed and pulled his hand back, but Raya just smiled. At this moment, Zack's emotions were all churned up. He got it in his mind that he wanted to kiss her. He wondered if Raya would let him. He put his book down and was just about to go for it when the stewardess brought the meal.

While Zack was eating, a bunch of colored novelty snakes burst from Aja's plate when she lifted the tray. He knew the suspects were limited so he looked around the plane. That was when he realized that the head witch would never consent to fly coach because of her rich father. He needed a way to inspect first class so he waved the stewardess over.

"How may I help you, sir?" the blonde stewardess offered.

"I am interested in how planes work so I was wondering if you gave tours of the cockpit," Zack hedged.

"I'll ask the captain," the stewardess promised.

Shortly after that, the stewardess came back and consented to take Zack into the cockpit.

"Now, we're getting somewhere," Zack thought with a sinister grin.

While walking behind the stewardess, Zack used his peripheral vision to look over the passengers. He saw a woman wearing sunglasses who had her hair covered with a scarf. Another woman further down had red hair. What was curious to Zack was that he could see a strand of blue hair sticking out from the red. The next woman that interested Zack was wearing a large yellow hat that failed to conceal the white hair on her neck. The final woman had brown hair and was pretending to look out the window.

After fifteen minutes in the cockpit, Zack started walking back towards coach. He stopped briefly to wave and smirk at the woman wearing the scarf because he was sure that it was hiding green hair. He then returned to coach where Jerrica was waiting for him.

"Report," Jerrica ordered.

"They're in there," Zack revealed.

"I thought so," Jerrica sighed.

"You are so sneaky," Raya complimented when Zack sat back down.

That night was the Holograms first concert in Hawaii. Zack spent the whole time backstage with binoculars looking for trouble. He was completely on edge because he knew that his favorite playmates had followed them onto the plane. Surprisingly, nothing out of the ordinary happened. He wondered what was wrong with the Misfits.

The next day found Zack having a picnic lunch on the beach with the Holograms. After lunch, he tried to read his book but he didn't get very far because Raya was wearing a red and white striped bathing suit and smearing suntan lotion on herself.

"Zack, could you please put some lotion on my back?" Raya requested which caused his book to pop out of his hands.

"S-sure," Zack agreed as he took the bottle and followed Raya's request. He went back to his blanket sweating a bit more than usual.

After relaxing for a while, the Holograms played a game of volleyball. The exertion helped distract Zack from his bubbling emotions for a while. The game was close but Rio's team beat Zack's team.

Zack and Raya spent most of their first night in Hawaii walking on the beach and holding hands. The idea of kissing her was blaring in his brain. He was hesitant to do it because he did not know if Raya felt the same way. She broke through his doubts when she started talking with him.

"I like a man who is good with kids," Raya pointed out.

"You do?" Zack asked.

"All the girls look up to you and a lot of them have your picture in their room," Raya explained.

"I see," Zack answered.

"I care a great deal about you!" Raya exclaimed. "I know you want to take things slow, but I don't want to do that anymore!"

"I don't want to do that either," Zack replied as he put his hand on Raya's waist and leaned in for a kiss.

The kiss was lingering and delightful. He then put his arms around her back and squeezed her in an intimate hug which she gladly returned.

"I love you!" Zack blurted out breathlessly.

"I love you too!" Raya answered while collecting one more kiss.

Zack and Raya walked back to the hotel holding hands not knowing they were being spied on from a distance by a certain green haired witch and her followers. Zack felt as if he was in another world while he was escorting his new girlfriend back to the room she was sharing with Aja.

"Goodnight, boyfriend," Raya called out when they got to the room.

"See you tomorrow, girlfriend," Zack replied just before Raya left.

Zack was so spaced out by everything that had happened that he did not see his four favorite idiots sneaking up on him from behind. Before he knew what was happening, Pizzazz threw a burlap sack over his head.

"Hey!" Zack protested.

"I've got him!" Pizzazz cried out in glee


	11. Jerrica Confesses

Raya walked into the room that she was sharing with Aja as if she was in a dream. She had just become the girlfriend of Zack Morgan the security guard for the Holograms. She entered the room as if she didn't know where she was going. She found her roommate Aja writing a letter to her boyfriend Craig Phillips who just happened to be the brother of Stormer. Aja looked up from her letter when Raya sank slowly onto her bed.

"Are you okay?" Aja pressed.

"I feel wonderful!" Raya cried out as she rubbed her forehead.

"Oh, oh!" Aja blurted out. "What happened?"

"He loves me!" Raya squealed.

"I assume that you are talking about Zack," Aja guessed with a smirk.

"Who else would I be talking about?" Raya snapped.

"Easy, I was only kidding," Aja placated with raised hands.

"Okay," Raya sighed.

"I thought that this would happen eventually," Aja declared with a wide grin. "Mind giving me some details?"

"We were walking on the beach and I told Zack that I didn't want to take things slow anymore," Raya revealed. "The next thing I knew, we were kissing."

"I'm happy for you, Raya," Aja piped up.

"Thanks," Raya acknowledged.

All of a sudden, Raya heard a loud noise coming from the hallway. She rushed to the door and looked through the peephole to see a disturbing sight. The Misfits were holding Raya's boyfriend prisoner. Pizzazz had put a burlap sack that covered the upper two thirds of his body over his head.

"Oh, no!" Raya gasped.

"What's wrong?" Aja demanded.

"The Misfits are holding Zack prisoner with a burlap sack!" Raya cried out.

"Is that all?" Aja snickered as she went back to her letter.

"How can you just sit there?" Raya protested.

"I can just sit here because I have known your boyfriend longer than you have," Aja explained.

Zack stood under a burlap sack with Pizzazz's hands on his shoulders. Most people would have been scared being subjected to this kind of treatment from the Misfits, but he was just annoyed.

"I can't believe we actually snuck up on him!" Roxy cheered with delight.

"I can!" Pizzazz debated. "Raya made him dizzy!"

"Maybe so, but I'm not dizzy any more," Zack warned with a muffled voice.

"What should be do with him?" Pizzazz asked as if she hadn't heard the security guard of the Holograms.

"Let's take him to our room and shave his head!" Jetta offered.

"There's an idea!" Zack blurted out sarcastically. "Here's another. Let me go while you still can!"

"Yeah, right!" Pizzazz chortled while making the fatal mistake of taking her eyes of Zack to look at the other Misfits. "Can you believe this guy?"

"Look out!" Stormer screamed when she saw Zack lifting his right foot.

Stormer's warning was a second to late to stop Zack from stomping on Pizzazz's foot.

"OUCH!" Pizzazz howled just before Zack elbowed her in the stomach to send her slowly sinking to the floor while gasping for air.

Zack whipped the bag of his head and spun around to glare menacingly at his opponents.

"You know, my parents told me never to hit a lady, but you creatures are definitely not ladies!" Zack threatened.

"Get him!" Pizzazz gurgled.

"With pleasure!" Roxy thundered.

"Let's dance!" Zack challenged.

"You know what they say," Roxy laughed. "Be careful what you wish for!"

Roxy charged Zack and he responded by throwing the sack over her head and spinning her to the floor.

"You stupid blighter!" Jetta roared as she tried to punch our hero in the nose.

Zack turned sideways to avoid the punch. He then grabbed Jetta's outstretched arm and flipped her over her shoulder.

"How about you?" Zack asked Stormer with fire in his eyes.

"Uh, bye!" Stormer squeaked while running away.

"Are you idiots full or are you ready for seconds?" Zack barked to send the other Misfits running away.

"Are you okay?" Raya asked with a worried look after she opened the door.

"I'm in better shape than they are," Zack answered.

"Did you have fun?" Aja asked with an air of indifference.

"Yeah, I did!" Zack cackled.

"I thought so," Aja giggled.

"You were wonderful!" Raya complimented with a kiss.

"I'm going to have to do stuff like that more often," Zack commented with a grin.

"Oh, you!" Raya answered with a playful slap.

* * *

><p>Rio and Jerrica were walking on the beach at the same time Zack and Raya were. Unfortunately, Rio and Jerrica were walking on the opposite end of the beach. If they had been closer, they would have been able to warn our hero about the predicament that he was about to get into. Jerrica did not feel in a romantic mood because she was distracted by her usual problem. She was felt that she was to come to a decision because of the advice that Zack had once given her. She was tired about worrying about this problem and she wanted to end it no matter what happened. By the time the couple arrived at the hotel room that Jerrica was sharing with her sister, she had finally decided to spill the beans. They went into the room to find Kimber watching television.<p>

"Kimber, could you please leave us alone for a while," Jerrica requested.

"Sure," Kimber agreed while turning off the television and leaving.

"Are you okay?" Rio pressed. "You seem distracted."

"I have to tell you something," Jerrica replied while walking to the window.

"What?" Rio probed.

"I hope you're right about this, Zack," Jerrica muttered to herself.

"What did you say?" Rio questioned.

"What I have to tell you might make you mad," Jerrica said while turning away from the window. "I want you to hold your reaction until I tell you why I haven't told you for so long."

"Sure," Rio agreed with his arms folded.

"Synergy…" Jerrica sighed as she touched her earring. "It's time."

"As you wish," Synergy replied while turning Jerrica into Jem right in front of Rio's eyes.

"What?" Rio blurted out. "I once saw you and Jem together!"

"It was a hologram," Jem answered. "Please listen. The reason that I didn't tell you is that our holograms are created by an extremely supplicated computer. It would be disastrous if it fell into the wrong hands."

"What computer?" Rio prodded.

"Synergy, show yourself," Jerrica ordered.

"Hello, Rio," Synergy greeted after appearing from out of nowhere.

"Why does she look familiar?" Rio asked.

"My father created her and modeled her after my mother," Jem explained.

"How did Zack find out?" Rio wanted to know.

"Synergy, project a hologram of Kimber as she appears in concert," Jerrica requested.

A hologram of Kimber appeared and Jem stood beside it.

"Now do you see?" Jem asked.

"No," Rio replied.

Rio felt like a moron when Jem pointed at her eye and then pointed at Kimber's.

"I am an idiot!" Rio cried out.

"Sometimes the most obvious things are the hardest to see," Jem replied while shaking her head.

"Did you try that hologram trick on Zack?" Rio wondered.

"He just frowned and shook his head," Jem answered.

"Figures," Rio grunted.

"I know you're mad, but please don't leave me!" Jem pleaded.

"I am a little disappointed that you didn't trust me with this sooner, but I could never leave you," Rio replied while approaching Jem for a kiss.

"Show's over, Synergy!" Jem blurted out to make all of the holograms disappear


	12. Happy Birthday Ashley

A lot had happened to Jem and the Holograms on the previous night in Hawaii. Zack and Raya proclaimed their love for each other provoking absolutely no surprise from the other Holograms. Unbeknownst to the new couple, the Misfits had been spying on them and saw how distracted Zack was getting. They decided to take advantage of the situation by throwing a burlap sack over his head. That was a mistake that they regretted after three out of four Misfits were rolling on the floor. On that same night, Jerrica finally revealed to Rio that she was Jem. Rio decided to forgive Jerrica and profess his love to her which allayed Jerrica's fears.

Back in the present time, Zack arrived in the hotel room that he was sharing with Rio to find him watching television. Zack sat on his bed and fished for his phone card so he could call his parents and tell them the exciting news about Raya.

"Jerrica told me," Rio revealed.

"Huh?" the distracted Zack asked while looking up from his wallet.

"She told me everything," Rio added.

"So we are all on the same page then?" Zack probed.

"I'd say so," Rio agreed.

"What do you think?" Zack questioned.

"I am a little disappointed that she didn't tell me sooner, but I love Jerrica so I'll stay with her," Rio explained.

"Good for you," Zack answered.

"I heard that you had an exciting night too," Rio piped up.

"You might say that," Zack laughed.

"Aja put the word out over the phone so everyone knows by now," Rio confessed.

"I was wondering how you found out," Zack mused.

"She even told us how the Misfits ambushed you," Rio declared.

"I can only guess that they were spying on us," Zack estimated. "They decided to attack me because they saw how distracted I was getting."

"I bet they won't try that again so soon," Rio put out.

"No, they won't!" Zack chortled when he finally found his phone card. "I have to make a phone call now. My parents will want to know what happened with Raya."

Zack began the arduous process of dialing all of the necessary numbers on his phone card so that his friends wouldn't get charged with the call. He stopped briefly to comment to Rio how aggravating it was. Finally, he got a dial tone.

"Hello?" Chad Morgan sleepily asked.

"I'm sorry if I woke you, but I need to talk," Zack apologized.

"You know you can call us anytime," Chad answered. "Is something wrong?"

"Who is it?" Cynthia muttered in her sleep.

"It's Zack," Chad replied.

"Nothing is wrong!" Zack declared excitedly. "In fact, everything is wonderful!"

"Care to tell me about it?" Chad pressed.

"I'm in love!" Zack revealed.

"This is interesting," Chad revealed. "How did this happen?"

"Raya and I were walking on the beach and then, we were kissing," Zack blurted out.

"I know that you're excited, but I hope that you won't go too fast with her," Chad warned.

"I won't," Zack promised.

"Anything else happen over there?" Chad questioned.

"Just the Misfits ambushing me," Zack answered.

"Must have been scary," Chad guessed.

"For them it was!" Zack spat.

"Good boy!" Chad laughed. "Well, Raya is a nice girl so we are both happy for you."

"Thanks, bye!" Zack replied just before hanging up.

"What did Zack want?" Cynthia asked.

"Our son has grown up," Chad sighed.

* * *

><p>The next night, Zack treated Raya to a candlelit dinner at a fancy restaurant to celebrate their becoming boyfriend and girlfriend. They got a picture to commemorate the event and spent most of the evening dancing while wearing their best clothes. While they were not dancing, they looked into each others eyes while eating their spaghetti. Zack thought with a sly grin that they could have reenacted the famous scene from Lady And The Tramp if only they had been eating the same plate of spaghetti.<p>

As for the Misfits, they did not cause trouble again until the last concert of the trip. Zack was patrolling in his usual spot backstage wearing jeans, a red shirt and blue cap. Jem and The Holograms were singing "She Makes An Impression".

*not my song

Her outfit is chosen with the greatest of care  
>She does the same when she does her hair<br>Oh she wears what she wears with pride  
>It reflects what she feels inside<p>

She makes an impression wherever she goes  
>She makes and impression its' more then her clothes<br>She makes and impression  
>You bet you won't forget whoa oh oh<p>

(She makes an impression)  
>It's not the store or the designers name<br>(Ooh)  
>It's not the price she won't play that game<br>But the moment a girl steps out (steps out)  
>You can tell what she's all about<p>

She makes an impression wherever she goes  
>She makes and impression its' more then her clothes<br>She makes and impression  
>You bet you won't forget<p>

(She makes and impression)  
>She makes and impression<br>(She makes and impression)  
>She makes and impression<br>She makes and impression

Just as the song was ending, the tribe of idiots came out with rotten tomatoes. Just as Pizzazz was about to plaster Jem with one of those messy projectiles, Zack came running onto the stage with a garbage can lid to save the lead singer from a big mess. Just as Zack was chasing the Misfits away, Jem sang an encore performance of the song. Only this time, she changed the words to "He Makes An Impression" and dedicated it to her protector.

Zack and Raya could not take their eyes off each other on the plane ride home. They were holding hands and Zack ran his fingers through Raya's hair once. He was just about to kiss her when Jerrica interrupted him.

"Zack, I'm sorry to interrupt you two lovebirds, but I have a favor that I need to ask you," Jerrica stated.

"What is it?" Zack asked.

"Tomorrow is Ashley's birthday," Jerrica declared.

"I'll buy her a present when we land," Zack promised.

"I'm afraid that she doesn't want a present from you," Jerrica refused with a grin.

"What does she want?" Zack questioned.

"I know! I know!" Aja blurted out with her hand raised as if she was in school.

"Before we left, she told me that it would make her very happy if a certain clown showed up at her party," Jerrica revealed.

"Hmm…" Zack murmured while scratching his chin. "I'll have to see if I can find one."

"I knew that I could count on you," Jerrica answered while patting Zack's back.

When the meal came, Zack insisted that he checked all of the plates first to make sure that the Misfits didn't pull anymore pranks from first class. The meal was enjoyable since nothing happened. Zack left the plane with his friends when it landed to find something very interesting in the terminal.

"Raya, what do you see over there?" Zack asked while holding her hand.

"Looks like our parents are getting to know each other," Raya answered with a smile.

Zack and Raya broke off from the rest of the group to hug their respective parents. When they were done, Raya's parents started taking a healthy interest in Zack.

"Hello, Zack," Mr. Alonso greeted with an outstretched hand.

"Hi," Zack answered while shaking his hand.

"How was your flight?" Mrs. Alonso asked.

"It was fine, thank you," Zack spoke.

"Could we talk in private for a minute?" Mr. Alonso probed while motioning to the far corner of the terminal.

"O-Okay," Zack stuttered.

"Ooh, you're in trouble now!" Kimber teased.

"Don't I know it!" Zack laughed while walking away.

"Raya told us some interesting things over the phone," Mr. Alonso stated.

"Probably the same things that I've been telling my parents," Zack guessed.

"I wouldn't doubt it," Mr. Alonso agreed. "We're a little concerned about all of this."

"Do you have a problem with me?" Zack wanted to know.

"Of course not," Mrs. Alonso comforted.

"It's just that Raya is our only daughter so she is very special to us," Mr. Alonso explained.

"I would never do anything to hurt your daughter," Zack promised.

"We know, dear," Mrs. Alonso replied.

"We hope that you will take care of Raya and give her the respect she deserves," Mr. Alonso ordered.

"I love Raya and I promise to do all of those things," Zack vowed.

"You are a good man, Zack," Mrs. Alonso declared. "We've heard some nice things about you so we trust you."

"Thanks," Zack acknowledged.

"You seem nervous," Mr. Alonso guessed.

"This is my first time being grilled by a girl's parents," Zack answered.

"I understand," Mr. Alonso conceded.

"Well, I have to get ready for a birthday party that we'll be having tomorrow," Zack stated.

"We'll see you later then," Mrs. Alonso replied.

"Bye," Zack finished as he turned around to see that Raya was in the same predicament that he was in.

Zack walked back to his friends to prepare to go home.

"Need a lift home, Zack?" his father asked.

"I need to stop someplace to buy a birthday present for Ashley," Zack answered.

"We can stop at the mall on the way," Zack's mother agreed.

Zack started getting ready for the party by having his parents drive him to the mall. He bought a white stuffed bear which he had the cashier gift wrap. He then went to a magic store to buy props for his act. When he got home, he called a meeting in the secret room to tell his friends how he wanted them to participate. The only way that this meeting was different was that Rio was in attendance for the first time.

The next day, the Holograms were standing on a makeshift stage in the backyard with their instruments. There was a rectangular table with a chocolate birthday cake in the middle where all of the girls were sitting wearing party hats. Ashley was of course sitting at the head of the table.

"What song would you like us to sing, Ashley?" Jem asked.

"Well…" Ashely pondered only to be interrupted by a confused clown wandering into the backyard with a map. All of the young girls cried out with delight when they saw him.

"Excuse me!" Kimber exclaimed when she approached the clown. "We are trying to do a concert here!"

"Don't be rude!" Jem admonished. "He's probably lost."

"Let me see that!" Kimber groaned while snatching the map from his hands. "Well, it's no wonder you're lost! This is a map of China!"

The clown slapped his forehead with his hand while all of the girls had a hearty laugh.

"Are you stupid or something?" Kimber spat.

"Kimber!" Jem admonished.

The clown took a large handkerchief out of his pocket and pretended to cry.

"Crying won't help!" Kimber protested.

The clown shoved the handkerchief into his right fist and waved over it with his left hand. He then made a bouquet of flowers appear which he gave to Raya.

"Oooooh!" the girls teased.

"Why don't you leave?" Kimber ordered.

The clown walked to his box of props which he had Rio hide under the stage and took out a pie.

"Don't you hit me with that!" Kimber squealed as she ran away.

The clown chased Kimber around the yard with the pie until he tripped and nailed himself to get hilarious laughter from everyone at the party. The clown did several magic tricks which included pulling a rabbit out of his hat and putting magic rings together. The clown ended his act by giving the stuffed bear to Ashley which earned a hug from the birthday girl.


	13. Halloween Mischief

Raya walked away from Starlight mansion dressed as an angel leading four of the foster girls for trick or treat. Ba Nee was dressed as a ballerina. Ashley was dressed as a ghost. Krissie was dressed as a pirate. Deidre was dressed as an astronaut. The trick-or-treaters were on their way to a party at school, but they stopped on the way to visit Video and Danse for candy.

When Raya brought her charges to the school, she saw several people of various ages wearing colorful costumes. There were booths with games and activities. There was a booth were people bobbed for apples. In the middle of everything where Jem and the Holograms would perform. A rock climbing wall was in the back. There was also a booth where people tried to win stuffed animals. Raya tried several times to hit a moving ghoul at the booth but couldn't win. While Raya was distracted, someone stole Ba Nee's bag of candy and folded into the crowd.

"Someone stole my candy!' Ba Nee cried out.

"Oh, my gosh!" Raya gasped as she tried to find the person who did it.

One by one, each of the girls had their candy masterfully stolen. The girls were getting more and more upset and Raya was getting more and more angry.

"I've had enough of this!" Raya spat while reaching for something in her bag.

Shortly after the thefts, Jem approached Raya wearing a princess costume.

"What's wrong with the girls?" Jem asked with concern when she saw how upset they all were.

"Someone has been stealing their candy!" Raya exclaimed with disgust.

"I can't believe that!" Jem shrieked.

"Oh, I have a feeling that they'll get it back soon," Raya replied with a wicked grin.

"I'm here to take over if you'd like to enjoy the games," Jem offered.

"Thanks, I will," Raya answered while leaving.

Raya wondered among the booths by herself trying to figure out what she wanted to do first. Before she could come to a decision, she saw four shadows creeping up on her from behind. Raya turned around to see four witches wearing outfits that matched their hair color.

"I should have known it was you!' Raya spat while looking at the witches with disdain.

"Yes, you should have!" Pizzazz cackled. "Now, give me your candy!"

"I don't think so!" Raya refused.

"You don't have a choice!" Roxy pointed out while the Misfits started chasing Raya.

Raya ran around all of the booths trying to loose her pursuers. Finally, she got trapped at a dead end behind a hot dog stand. With nowhere else to run, Raya bent over and clutched her stomach to catch her breath.

"Trick or treat!" Pizzazz laughed.

At first, Raya had a look of fear on her face. All of her sudden, her mood changed and a grim smile appeared on her face.

"Trick!" Raya replied while pointing at a spot behind the Misfits.

The Misfits all turned around to see a devil complete with horns, tail and rubber pitch fork. What was scary to the Misfits was that this particular devil had an incensed look on his face and was wearing glasses.

"How did you find us?" Pizzazz demanded.

"Here's how!" Raya replied while taking a beeper out of her bag which she had pressed earlier.

"Sorry it took so long for me to get here," Zack apologized. "I had to wait for Rio to take charge of my group."

"They stole the girls' candy!" Raya revealed.

"You know what," Zack grumbled while getting a can of silly string out of his bag and covering the Misfits with it.

"Why you!" Roxy thundered while charging Zack.

Zack shoved his pitch fork in between Roxy's legs and lifted it to cause her to take a thud on the ground.

"You ladies still want to cause trouble?" Zack barked while brandishing his pitchfork at the Misfits who were still standing. "I guess Clash didn't tell you what happens to idiots who pick on little girls!"

"We're done!" Pizzazz squeaked.

"Good!" Zack snorted. "First, you're going to show me where you hid the candy and then you're going to leave!"

The devil made the witches lead him to where the stolen candy was stashed with the angel following close behind. As it turned out, the candy was hidden in a coffin. Zack made them leave by waving his large fork one final time. Before the concert began, Jem and the Holograms decided to visit a haunted house that had been set up. The girls were too scared to go in so Zack volunteered to stay with all of them. Half an hour passed and no one returned. The hair on the back of Zack's neck started to straighten. He knew that he had to investigate, but he could not leave the girls alone. Zack looked around and saw the answer to his problems in Video.

"Video, could you watch the girls for a while please?" Zack asked. "I need to go investigate the haunted house."

"Sure," Video replied.

Zack wandered cautiously into the haunted house to look for his missing family. He spent several minutes walking through a maze of corridors when a distorted spooky voice came from an unknown place.

"Welcome, Zack Morgan!" the voice groaned.

"Who are you?" Zack snapped.

"I am the Phantom!" the voice replied.

"Where is my family?" Zack demanded.

"You will get them back after the Misfits take over the concert," the voice answered.

"Do you really think that is how this is going to go down, Eric?" Zack protested.

"I am…" the voice debated.

"Yeah, you're the Phantom!" Zack broke off. "You can play that game if you want, but we'll be playing some fun games when I find you!"

In the next second, mysterious music started to play and ghosts flew across the walls.

"Do I look like a Starlight girl?" Zack cried out. "You can't scare me so easily!"

Zack stormed off into the next hallway to find a small staircase. At the top was a hallway containing a chandelier. He started to climb it, but the stairs turned into a ramp when he had gotten halfway. Zack's feet went out from under him and he slid to the bottom. Try as he might, he couldn't climb back up the ramp.

"I'll be right back!" Zack promised.

"Take your time!" the Phantom gloated.

Ten minutes later, Zack came back with a rope with a hook attached that he had borrowed from the rock climbing wall. He snagged the chandelier and repelled up the ramp. He turned to the left and found a flimsy door with gaps at the top of the hinges. Zack pushed the prongs of his pitchfork into the gaps to pry the hinges off which caused the door to fall onto the floor. Our hero stormed into the room to find several monitors and controls. On one of the monitors, he saw his friends trapped in a hidden cell. He found the rat that he was expecting wearing a cape and a mask over the right side of his face. He also found a weirdo with black hair.

"I'm out of here!" Techrat squealed while pushing a button to open a secret panel which he would have escaped through if Zack hadn't thrown his pitchfork at the weirdo's feet to trip him.

"Do you mind telling me which of these buttons I have to push to get my family out of that cell?" Zack growled while shaking Techrat by the scruff of his neck.

"The blue button, sir," the weirdo replied. "Please don't hurt me!"

Zack pushed the button and followed his friends to the stage where the Misfits were about to steal the show. He chased them off with his pitchfork.

"My hero!" Raya cried out.

"For luck," Zack replied while stealing a kiss.

"Ooh, you devil!" Raya cooed.

"Why don't you introduce us?" Jem asked.

"Ladies and gentleman, Jem and the Holograms!" Zack broadcasted as he ran across the stage.

*not my song

A little fright can be alright  
>A sudden chill will give you a thrill<br>A spooky night can be dynamite  
>It's fun to be scared<p>

It's fun to be scared (oh, oh)  
>It's fun to be scared, (hey, hey)<br>It's fun to be scared, (oh, no)  
>It's fun to be scared<p>

A creaky door means fun galore  
>A witch's brew can do it for you<br>A lightning flash can be a monster bash  
>It's fun to be scared<p>

It's fun to be scared (oh, oh)  
>It's fun to be scared, (hey, hey)<br>It's fun to be scared, (oh, no)  
>It's fun to be scared<p>

A little fright can be alright  
>It's just a charade, so don't be afraid<p>

It's fun to be scared (oh, oh)  
>It's fun to be scared, (hey, hey)<br>It's fun to be scared,  
>Fun to be scared!<p> 


	14. Enter The Stingers

Zack and the Holograms were at a construction site building a house for charity. Jerrica was involved with a business meeting at Starlight Music. Zack was swinging a hammer while Raya held up the boards for him and mixed plaster. The rhythm of her boyfriend swinging a hammer was quite hypnotic to Raya. Aja did most of the electrical work and Shana did the painting. Kimber also swung a hammer but she was not quite as adept at it as Zack was which was evident because of a bandage on her thumb. Rio did most of the heavy lifting. The group was all hard at work when Zack's parents stopped by for a visit.

"Zack?" Chad Morgan greeted.

"It's good to see you," Zack declared while handing the hammer to Raya and giving his parents a hug.

"How are you, Raya?" Cynthia Morgan asked.

"Fine, thank you," Raya replied while wiping her brow.

"We came by with a snack," Cynthia revealed while presenting the group with a pitcher of lemonade and a plate of brownies.

"Brownies! Gimmee!" Kimber squealed as she rushed for the plate.

"Save some for the rest of us!" Aja teased.

"Did you hurt yourself?" Chad asked Kimber.

"I'm fine," Kimber mumbled through a mouthful of brownie.

"Where are your manners?" Zack needled.

"Sorry," Kimber apologized after gulping down the remains of her brownie.

"We're very proud of you, Zack," Chad complimented.

"That's good to know," Zack replied with a wide grin.

The whole group worked on the house until lunchtime knowing that they still had a long way to go. They spent a while cleaning themselves off and changing into much better clothes. When everyone got into the kitchen, Aja cooked everyone a late lunch. There was not much conversation due to the general fatigue of the room. A wave of concern hit Zack when he saw Raya rubbing her neck so he got up from his chair and slowly walked behind her so that he wouldn't startle her. After moving her hair aside, he not only massaged Raya's neck but her shoulders as well.

"That feels so good!" Raya purred.

"Say, Zack," Kimber spoke out. "I have a crick in my neck too."

"Sorry, but you'll have to settle for aspirin," Zack answered with a frown.

"That's right!" Raya giggled. "He's mine!"

"No fair!" Kimber mock protested while pretending to pout.

"Well, what's going on here?" Jerrica asked with her hands on her hips when she entered the room.

"He's fixing a pain in my neck," Raya murmured with half open eyes.

"You look like you're enjoying yourself," Jerrica laughed.

"You bet I am!" Raya exclaimed.

When the pain in her neck subsided, Raya decided that she wanted to get back to her lunch.

"Thank you very much!" Raya acknowledged.

"I'd do anything for you," Zack replied with a kiss.

"What was your meeting about?" Aja asked Jerrica.

"I want to attract more bands so we can get more money for the Foundation," Jerrica explained. "In fact, I have tickets for all of us to see a new band tonight."

That night, Zack went with his surrogate family to the theater to see a band who called themselves The Stingers. All of the members of the group were blonde. The lead singer was a man with straggly blond hair who called himself Riot. The performers behind him were both women with one having shorter hair than the other. Zack did not know these people, but the one thing he did know was that he did not like them. All three members of the Stingers had cold eyes as far as our hero was concerned. His opinion did not improve when they sang their first song "We're The Stingers".

"Riot looks like a dream!" Kimber blurted out.

"More like a nightmare!" Zack barked.

"What do you mean?" Jerrica questioned with a look of surprise.

"My Spidey sense is tingling!" Zack exclaimed with disgust.

"But you don't even know them," Aja protested.

"I don't like their eyes!" Zack debated.

"How can you judge someone based on their eyes?" Jerrica wanted to know.

"They say that the eyes are the windows into your soul," Zack explained.

"That's nonsense!" Jerrica argued.

After the Stingers finished their song, a riot almost ensued. Riot stopped it by making a speech. He seemed to have a hypnotic effect over the crowd which bugged Zack even more. Jerrica got up from her chair and was just about to ask the Stingers to join their label when she saw the empty chair next to Raya. She did not have to look up to know that Zack was about to cause trouble.

"What is he doing?" Jerrica spat when she saw her security guard marching off to confront Riot.

"He's protecting us," Raya replied.

"Why does your boyfriend think that we think that we need protecting?" Jerrica questioned to get nothing but a shrug of Raya's shoulders as a response.

"Excuse me," Zack spoke when he reached his target.

"Aren't you Zack Morgan?" Riot asked.

"How do you know my name?" Zack cried out with surprise.

"I make it a point to find out about all of the popular bands when I enter a new town," Riot explained. "You seem to have made a bit of news yourself."

"That sure was an interesting display you put on with the crowd," Zack declared when he regained his composure.

"Whatever do you mean?" Riot innocently answered.

"Not too many people can control a crowd like that," Zack pointed out. "I might start to think that you are a X-Man."

"What…" Riot started to ask.

"Zack, what are you doing?" Jerrica protested.

"I'm finding out about our new friend here," Zack answered.

"I need to ask them to join our label," Jerrica said.

"That's not a good idea!" Zack protested.

"Why don't you just go back and join your girlfriend?" Jerrica demanded.

"Fine, make your deal with the devil!" Zack cried out as he left.

"I apologize for our security guard," Jerrica spoke with a sigh. "He's very protective of us."

"As he should be," Riot accepted.

The next night was the next concert for Jem and the Holograms. Zack was patrolling in his usual space backstage with his binoculars. Towards the end of the concert, Zack saw someone in the front row that made a chill run down his spine. He saw Riot. He decided to broaden his scope and walked into a deserted hallway where the main office was. He heard a suspicious noise coming from the office so he froze in his tracks until an unknown person dressed all in black sneaked out with the proceeds for the concert.

"Hey!" Zack protested.

The intruder threw the cashbox at Zack to catch him off guard and then punched him in the right eye to send his glasses flying off. Zack countered with a kick to the right knee, but he paid for it with a punch in the nose. The attacker pushed Zack onto a red table and ran at him. Zack put both of his feet up and kicked the thief in the stomach to find out that it was a woman he was fighting. The woman pushed the table to knock Zack onto the floor. Our hero grabbed a metal garbage can lid and whacked his assailant in the face with it. He then stared down the attacker until she ran away. After the fight was over, fatigue set in and Zack sank to the floor. The last thing he saw before darkness took over was Raya's panicked face.

Half an hour later, Zack woke up in a hospital bed surrounded by all of his friends.

"What happened?" Zack groaned.

"You shouldn't get beat up over a cashbox!" Jem admonished.

"I guess the Misfits have made me soft," Zack mused.

"Are you okay?" Raya cried out.

"I guess so," Zack grumbled.

"They say that you'll be able to leave tomorrow," Aja stated.

"Do you still want to get involved with the Stingers?" Zack asked Jem.

"This again?" Jem protested.

"I saw Riot in the front row before the excitement began," Zack explained. "After I finally got in a good hit, I found out that the thief was a woman. Two of the Stingers are women."

"That doesn't prove anything," Jem replied.

"No, but it should at least make you suspicious," Zack declared.

"I've had enough of this!" Jem yelled as she stormed out of the room


	15. Going To The Mattresses

"Greetings, dear readers. My name is Zack Morgan and I am the security guard for the Misfits. That's right! I said the Misfits! Want to make something of it? Sorry that I'm a bit testy right now, but things haven't been going too well for me lately. I was on top of the world just a few days ago. I became the boyfriend of the Holograms drummer Raya Alonso in Hawaii and didn't look back. Then things started flying apart when Jerrica started losing it. I knew trouble was coming because she started yelling at people for no good reason. She was even yelling at me. Then again, things haven't been perfect between us since the Stingers entered the picture. There was something about Pretty Boy, or Riot if you prefer, that didn't sit right with me from the first time I saw him. Jerrica thought that I was jumping the gun but I didn't care. I think of myself as a good judge of character and she couldn't see that. When Jerrica hit the peak of her aggravation, she apparently left as Jem for parts unknown with Pretty Boy. The only clue that I have to this little mystery is this letter that seems to be written with Jerrica's handwriting. Because of the letter, everyone else has given up hope of her returning. However, my Spidey sense is tingling. For those of you who aren't fans of Spider-Man, that just means that I don't believe that the letter holds water. Yes, I know that Spider-Man isn't real. I just like the phrase. Anyway, with Jem out of the picture, the Holograms had to sell Starlight Music and everything associated with it to the highest bidder. Unfortunately for me, that was Pizzazz's rich father. Now, I am stuck guarding the elevator for idiots that I would rather bounce off the walls. If I did that, I wouldn't be able to watch over the remains of my family. On top of all this, the Stingers are now in the same boat that we are in which means that I might very well be working alongside the same person who caused me to spend a night in the hospital in the previous chapter. I'm going to have to watch my back for a while. The worst thing about all of this is that I might soon have to look elsewhere for work which might separate me from Raya. I would rather die than give her up. If I am wrong about the letter and Jem really does want to be with Pretty Boy, then I'll guess that I'll have to live with it. If I am right, and this has happened because of one of Pretty Boy's tricks then the two of us are going to the mattresses. Oh, oh! Here come the Misfits to gloat some more so read on to find out what happens to us."

"How does it feel now that your family is dead?" Pizzazz gloated.

"You don't understand what a family is, do you?" Zack replied.

"Whatever do you mean?" Pizzazz cooed.

"Rock groups might die, but families do not!" Zack explained.

"Whatever," Pizzazz laughed as she gave up and went to the desk that used to be Jerrica's.

Zack was in a state of turmoil which he alleviated by sneaking peeks at his girlfriend Raya. Whatever happened, he made a promise to himself that he and Raya would stay together. She eventually saw Zack stealing one of his looks and came over to give him a kiss.

"Knock that off!" Roxy protested. "You're making me sick!"

Raya did not want to cause too much trouble at the moment so she headed into the other room where the rest of her friends were. Things were quiet until the Holograms got into an animated discussion about the letter which Zack had to sneak away from the elevator to hear.

"I still can't believe it!" Kimber wailed.

"I don't see that we have any other choice!' Rio debated. "This is in Jem's handwriting!"

"Let me see that!" Rapture as she snatched the letter. "This letter is a fake!"

"Huh?" Aja probed.

"See the R with a circle around it?" Rapture explained.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" Zack thundered with a crazed face.

"Look out! He's going to blow!" Shana alerted.

"I-it's a f-forgery," Minx stammered.

Zack's mood suddenly changed. His face transformed immediately from a twisted look to that of a smile. However, the Holograms knew that Zack's mood really hadn't changed because that smile was a smile of death.

"Holograms, let's go!" Zack ordered.

"Where are we going?" Kimber asked.

"To the mattresses!" Zack barked as he headed for the elevator.

"What does that mean?" Minx probed.

"Nothing good for Pretty Boy!" Zack answered as he pushed the button.

"We didn't give you permission to leave!" Pizzazz protested when the door opened.

"So fire me!" Zack cackled as the Holograms and Stingers filed into the elevator.

The two groups stopped off at Starlight Mansion for supplies before looking for the two wayward singers. Of course, the nosy Misfits had to follow them to see just what was going on. Just before climbing into Rio's van, Zack saw Ba Nee walking outside and got an idea.

"How's school, Ba Nee?" Zack asked while walking her away so his enemies couldn't hear.

"I can't think about school at a time like this!" Ba Nee whined.

"I need you to do me a favor," Zack ordered. "Show our guests a good time while we're away."

"You want me to do what?" Ba Nee protested.

"Don't be rude," Zack admonished. "Why don't you and the other girls throw our guests a little party to show them EXACTLY how much we like having them here."

"Oooh! I get it!" Ba Nee cried out.

"Spread the word!" Zack commanded while marching towards Rio's van.

"Yes, sir!" Ba Nee replied with a salute.

Zack climbed into Rio's van and spent most of the voyage to the boat they had chartered staring at the two female Stingers.

"What are you looking at?" Rapture demanded.

"Which one of you did it?" Zack demanded.

"What are you talking about?" Minx spat.

"Which one of you roughed me up?" Zack explained.

"You're barking up the wrong tree!" Minx protested.

"Fine, play dumb!" Zack replied. "If you cause trouble for me again, I'll be ready now that I know you have something to offer."

The voyage to the island that Jem and Riot were stranded on was a short one. Rio and Zack led the group to find the two missing singers sitting in lounge chairs and wearing swimsuits.

"She really does want to be here!" Rio cried out as he started to leave.

"I'm not leaving until I hear it from her own mouth!" Zack exclaimed as he advanced.

"I'm heeeere!" Zack sang out.

"What are you doing here?" Riot spat.

"You were expecting the Easter bunny, Pretty Boy?" Zack laughed.

"You came for me!" Jem cried out as she got up and started to run to Zack.

"She doesn't want to go with you!" Riot exclaimed as he got up to confront the security guard.

"Let me tell you something!" Zack demanded with his eyes flaring.

"Let's just go," Jem pleaded.

"No, I've got something to say to Pretty Boy and he's going to listen!" Zack protested.

"The name is Riot!" Riot barked.

"Oh, oh!" Kimber gurgled.

"Listen, Pretty Boy!" Zack needled. "From the moment I saw you, I knew that I didn't like you! Now I know why! You are nothing but an arrogant idiot who thinks the entire world is his personal playground!"

"Isn't it?" Riot asked with a smirk.

"Need help?" Rapture probed.

"This is between men," Riot refused.

"Anybody who treats people like they are his own personal pawns to moved wherever he wants will eventually be eaten alive!" Zack roared.

"That's it!" Rapture growled as she charged Zack to reveal that she had attacked him.

Zack wasn't about to take another chance at getting roughed up so he threw sand in her eyes and then kicked her in the stomach. He finished the fight with a punch in the face.

"Stay away from my family!" Zack ordered as he started to leave with Jem and the rest of his group.

"Do you really think you are part of that family?" Riot laughed. "You are just hired help!"

"Haven't you ever heard of parents giving their children an allowance?" Zack replied with a shrug while walking towards the boat with his friends.

"What are we going to do now?" Raya whined on the boat. "The Misfits control everything!"

"That might not be a problem anymore," Zack mused.

"What do you mean?" Raya probed.

"As we speak, my little associates are throwing a party for our guests," Zack explained.

"I love you!" Raya squealed as she threw her arms around Zack.

"I love you too!" Zack replied while returning the hug.

Sure enough, Starlight mansion was a complete mess and Zack enemies were all in a state of panic.

"A word with you, Eric!" Jerrica demanded as she entered the room.

"You can have everything back!" Eric exclaimed as he and the Misfits ran away.

The next sound that was heard was a lot of deep laughter from Zack.


	16. With This Ring I Be Wed

One year after his fateful trip to Hawaii, Zack Morgan stood in front of a red brick house with a knot in his stomach while reminiscing about his past. He recalled how the Holograms had found Ba Nee's father with the help of Riot. Zack knew that Riot would not have helped if Jem hadn't gotten him back together with his father. Zack also recalled that the Misfits decided to bury the hatchet and become friends which made his life a little more boring. Not that his life could ever be boring as long as he had Raya. In fact, Raya was the reason that he was standing in front of this particular house. Zack decided that it was time to stop reminiscing so he nervously rang the doorbell.

"Hello, Zack," Carlos Alonso greeted. "Raya isn't here."

"I'm here to see you, sir," Zack replied.

"Me?" Carlos probed in surprise.

"I need to ask you something," Zack requested.

"Come in," Carlos ordered while stepping aside.

"Thank you," Zack answered while entering. "Is your wife home? I need to talk to her too."

"She's upstairs," Carlos revealed. "While you're waiting, why don't you get acquainted with two of Raya's brothers. This is Paco and Miguel."

"Hola," Paco greeted while extending his hand.

"Hi," Zack responded while shaking the proffered hand.

"We've heard a lot about you, Senor," Miguel declared while taking his turn to shake Zack's hand.

"That doesn't surprise me," Zack stated.

"We hear you make a good clown," Miguel spoke with a grin.

"The foster girls that I live with saw my first performance on television so now they all want me to do my act for their birthday," Zack said.

"Must be rough!" Paco laughed.

"I don't mind," Zack chuckled.

"I like hearing about how you bowled over Pizzazz at home plate," Paco informed.

"I know I enjoyed it!" Zack chortled.

"I hear that you want to talk to us," Maria Alonso greeted when she walked down the stairs.

"Would you like to step into the kitchen?" Carlos offered.

"Excuse me," Zack spoke to Raya's brothers just before entering the kitchen.

"Have a seat," Carlos ordered.

"What can we do for you?" Maria asked when Zack sat in a chair.

"Well…" Zack paused nervously. "I have a question about Raya."

"I think I know what he's going to ask, dear," Maria declared to her husband.

"So do I," Carlos answered.

"See, I love your daughter very much," Zack explained. "My love for her grows every day so I wanted to ask for your blessing to ask her to marry me."

"Marriage is a big responsibility," Carlos debated.

"I'm aware of that," Zack replied.

"Are you and Raya planning on having children?" Maria wanted to know.

"We have talked about that," Zack confirmed. "I want to have children because my parents have given me so much that I want to pass on their gifts."

"I think that is a good reason," Carlos agreed. "Okay, you have our blessing."

"Thank you, sir," Zack gratefully replied.

"Please take care of Raya," Maria ordered.

"I promise that I will," Zack vowed.

Zack left after saying goodbye to everyone and headed to a diner that had a payphone near it. He called Jerrica and told her to get things set up for a party he was planning. He also told her not to let Raya know about it. He then bought a fried chicken dinner and sat down to eat it. While he was eating, someone that he would not have expected to approach him in a friendly manner a year ago came.

"Would you like some company?" Pizzazz asked.

"Sure," Zack agreed while motioning to the booth in front of him.

"Anything interesting happen lately?" Pizzazz wondered.

"I was at Raya's house talking to her parents," Zack revealed.

"Oh, really?" Pizzazz purred.

"I imagine that you can guess why," Zack mused.

"Well, it's no secret how serious you and Raya have been lately," Pizzazz pointed out. "Did they give you their blessing?"

"Yes," Zack answered while wiping his brow in relief.

"Congratulations," Pizzazz answered while patting Zack's shoulder.

"Thanks, now the only thing left is to ask Raya," Zack commented.

"I'm sure she'll say yes," the former green haired menaced guessed.

"I hope so," Zack sighed.

"I bet she'll even cry," Pizzazz added.

"Maybe," Zack murmured.

"You seem nervous," Pizzazz stated with a concerned look.

"The responsibility of it all is scary," Zack pointed out. "Raya and I will probably have children after we get married."

"You'll make a great father!" Pizzazz insisted.

"You think so," Zack replied.

"I don't have to live in that mansion to see how much the girls look up to you!" Pizzazz blurted out. "After all, you got them to cover us with food and I wouldn't be a bit surprised if you had something to do with them chasing us from the mansion."

Zack gave Pizzazz his answer in the form of a grim smile.

"I knew it," Pizzazz cackled. "We never could put one over on you."

"You did come close in Hawaii that one time," Zack mentioned.

"Only because Raya distracted you," Pizzazz laughed.

"I appreciate your vote of confidence, but I have to go home and propose now," Zack declared while getting up.

"Good luck, not that you'll need it," Pizzazz spoke.

"You know, we'll be having a party at Shae's tonight at eight to celebrate," Zack said. "You ladies are welcome to come too."

"Wouldn't miss it," Pizzazz accepted.

Zack drove his bike to Starlight mansion with his heart beating in his ears. Raya saying yes to his question was crucial to his happiness. When he got home, he found Raya wandering outside looking for her friends.

"Where is everyone?" Raya asked.

"I thought that we should talk first," Zack refused.

"Okay," Raya gave in.

"This is where it all started," Zack mused.

"I remember," Raya answered.

"I thought that my slip up was the end of the world back then," Zack remembered. "I can laugh about it now."

"Life is like that!" Raya laughed.

"There is no one on this world that I love more than you!" Zack proclaimed.

"I feel the same way," Raya pointed out.

"I can't live without you!" Zack exclaimed.

"I can't live without you!" Raya repeated.

Zack knew that there was only one thing left to do. He got down on one knee and took a ring box out of his pocket. He took the ring out and put it on Raya's finger.

"Please marry me!" Zack pleaded.

"Oh, Zack!" Raya sobbed.

"I need you to be happy!" Zack cried out.

"Of course I'll marry you!" Raya squealed.

Zack got up and gave Raya a passionate hug. He then kissed her through her tears.

Six months later, Zack found himself standing in front of a large mirror at the local church wearing his best tuxedo. He was standing next to his best man Rio and his father.

"You look nice," Chad Morgan complimented.

"Thanks," Zack replied.

"I bet you're excited," Rio guessed.

"If by excited you mean scared out of my mind, then the answer is yes," Zack explained.

"That just means that you appreciate the responsibility of what you are getting into," Chad answered.

All of a sudden, there was a knock on the door. Zack tentatively walked to the door to answer it. When he opened the door, he saw Raya's father.

"Zack, I just wanted to stop by to tell you that you are a very nice man and to welcome you into our family," Carlos Alonso gushed.

"Thank you, sir," Zack gasped.

It was soon time for Zack to go stand in front of the minister and wait for his future bride. While he was walking to the front of the chapel with his best man, he saw the Starlight girls sitting in the back. He even saw Ba Nee whom her father had brought to the wedding. He saw his former enemies the Misfits sitting in the middle. After he got to the front, the Holograms came in and stood to his right. When Carlos escorted his daughter who was wearing her white wedding gown complete with veil into the room, Raya once again stole Zack's breath. He felt his heart was going to leap out of his chest.

"Who gives this woman into holy matrimony?" the minister asked.

"I do," Carlos replied while giving Raya's hand to Zack just before sitting down.

"Marriage is a sacred union," the minister commented. "It is a time of joy and sorrow. It is a time of happiness and pain. It has been brought to my attention that the couple would like to exchange vows."

"Zack, when I joined the Holograms, I knew that was going to be in for a exciting ride, but I had no idea who would be waiting for me," Raya spoke while fighting back tears. "I experienced joy and contentment all because of you. Now I know that I never want to be apart from you."

"When the Holograms were looking for a new drummer, I had no idea what was going on because I was away camping," Zack said as a tear came out of his eye. "When I got back, I found a woman who took my breath away. She still takes my breath away every time I look at her and I am going to spend the rest of my life making her happy."

"The rings please," the minister asked getting Rio to hand them other.

"With this ring I be wed," the minister spoke.

"With this ring I be wed," Zack repeated while putting the ring on Raya's finger.

The minister repeated the same process for Raya and it was time for the ceremony to end.

"What God has joined let no man put asunder," the minister commented while Kimber started sobbing. "You may now kiss the bride."

Zack lifted Raya's veil and gave his new bride a joyful kiss. They left to start their new life with their families and the Starlight girls throwing rice. Even the Misfits got into the act.

* * *

><p>Thank you to everyone who has reviewed my story. For those of you who like this story, read the sequel Possibly Jem guest starring Kim Possible.<p> 


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